Birthday special: Krunal Pandya – The all-rounder who is yet to reach his best
Krunal Pandya is a cricketer who can score vital runs when his team is in need, and at the same time, he can also stem the flow of runs in the middle overs with the ball. And, apart from that, the left-arm spinner can also scalp a few wickets for his side as well.
However, the only problem has been the fact that his performances have not been consistent. And, it would be fair to say that the all-rounder has not realized his potential yet. As the Baroda-born all-rounder turns 31 on Thursday (March 24), let us examine Krunal’s T20I record with both bat and ball.
He has scored 124 runs in 19 matches and has scored his runs at an average of 24.8 and a strike rate of 130.53. And with the ball, Pandya has scalped 15 wickets in his career at a high average of close to 37, and has leaked runs at an economy rate of 8.11.
Even in the IPL, while Pandya has been good, he has not been exemplary, as his numbers with both bat and ball suggest. With the willow, the left-hander has scored over 1000 runs in 84 matches at a decent average of 22.41. With the ball in hand, Pandya has taken 51 wickets in 84 matches at an ordinary average of 34.76. And, these are not numbers that a quality all-rounder might be too happy about.
Krunal had stated last month that the numbers might not justify the impact that a player has had on his side. He also added that what matters more is whether a player takes responsibility and whether he has done the ‘hard’ job that the team needs.
“Numbers don’t always justify what you have done, but what matters is: Are you there for the team? Are you taking that responsibility? Are you doing the hard job for the team? And I did,” said Pandya in a chat with ESPN Cricinfo.
Yes, the numbers might not always do justice to the value of a player, but Krunal has not realised his potential fully yet. He has been in and out of the Indian side and is yet to cement his place in any of the three formats of the game at the national level.
