Hardik and Krunal Pandya’s Father, Himanshu, Passes Away Following Cardiac Arrest

Indian cricketers Hardik and Krunal Pandya’s father Himanshu passed away following a cardiac arrest. As per reports, Himanshu suffered heart-attack on Saturday morning and breathed his last soon after. While Hardik, who returned from Australia recently, is currently not playing, his elder brother Krunal was in charge of the Baroda team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 2021 trophy.

Reportedly, Krunal has left the bio-secure bubble to attend the last rituals of his father. "Yes, Krunal Pandya has left the bubble. It is a personal tragedy, Baroda Cricket Association mourns this loss of Hardik and Krunal," Baroda Cricket Association CEO Shishir Hattangadi was quoted as saying by ANI.

Himanshu was a business man in Surat and then shifted to Baroda for his son Krunal’s cricket coaching. Following the footsteps of his elder brother, Hardik took to cricket as well. The cricketers have in the past acknowledged the role of their father in their success.

Both Pandya brothers were close to their father and on father’s day last year the duo tweeted about the “sacrifices” their father had made. “Thank you Papa for all the sacrifices you have made for us. I will forever be grateful and will try and do whatever I can to keep a smile on your face!” Hardik had tweeted while Krunal wrote, “The man who’s always backed Hardik and me to follow our dreams without thinking of his own. Thank you for always being there for us in the good and bad times. You‘ve taught us to always believe in ourselves and never give up. Love you.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2021 10:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).