Krunal Pandya Dedicates His Match-Winning Performance to His Late Father, Says ‘I Hope I Made You Proud’ (See Post)

Krunal Pandya made a fantastic debut for India in the IND vs ENG 1st ODI match. The southpaw scored a maiden half-century in his first innings and also picked a wicket to Cap-off a memorable debut as India beat England by 66 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Krunal was emotional throughout the match and later paid a tribute to his late father and dedicated the performance to him. Krunal and Hardik Pandya lost their father in January earlier this year and have been mourning his untimely demise. Hardik Pandya Writes a Heartfelt Note to His Dad After Brother Krunal Pandya's Spectacular ODI Debut For India.

Krunal turned emotional when his brother Hardik handed him his debut ODI cap. Later with the bat he played a magnificent knock and helped India breach the 300-run mark, which at one point looked far when they were 205/5 in the 41st over. But Krunal’s knock and his unbeaten 112-run stand with KL Rahul propelled India to 317. Krunal scored an unbeaten 58 from 31 deliveries, which comprised seven boundaries and two maximums. He completed his half-century in just 26 balls. His strike-rate of 187.10 was the highest by a debutant in ODI cricket. Virat Kohli Becomes Second Indian After Sachin Tendulkar to Complete 10000 Runs in International Cricket at Home, Achieves Feat Against England.

Later with the ball, Krunal removed Sam Curran to break England’s back and end their hopes of chasing down the target. In his 10-over spell, Krunal gave away just 59 runs and picked one wicket. He dedicated the performance to his late father and said “This is for you Papa, everything we do is for you Papa.”

In a Twitter post, Krunal wrote: “Papa, with every ball you were always on my mind and in my heart. Tears rolled down my face as I felt your presence with me. Thank you for being my strength, for being the biggest support I’ve had. I hope I made you proud.” Take a look at his post.

Krunal Pandya Dedicates Performance to Late Father

Krunal’s brother Hardik also wrote in a separate post how the family was proud of Krunal and said their father would be proud of him. “He’s smiling down on you bhai and sent an early birthday gift for you. You deserve the world and more. I couldn’t be happier for you bhai,” Hardik wrote. India, meanwhile, bundled England for 251 in 42.1 overs to win the match by 66 runs and take the lead in the opening game for the first time in the tour.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2021 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).