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'It was fabulous to watch Krunal bat': Sunil Gavaskar explains why Pandya was impressive on debut against England
Former Indian captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Krunal Pandya who played a fearless innings during his debut innings in the India vs England 1st ODI in Pune.
It was dream come true moment for Krunal Pandya as he became the 233rd player to represent India in ODIs on Tuesday. He made his debut memorable with a 26-ball half-century - the fastest ODI half-century in ODIs by a debutant.
Krunal ended up scoring an unbeaten 31-ball 58 with the help of 2 sixes and 7 fours. He also stitched a 112-run stand with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket as India posted 317 for 5 in their fifty overs. The left-arm all-rounder also picked up a wicket as India restricted England to 251 and won the opening game by 66 runs.
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Former Indian captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Krunal who played a fearless innings during his debut innings. While speaking on Star Sports network, the cricketer-turned-commentator said that the all-rounder took the initiative and took the pressure off his partner KL Rahul.
“It was (fabulous to watch Krunal Pandya bat). Don’t forget that he was making his debut. So, it’s very difficult for somebody to play with the freedom that he showed. The shots that he was playing straight from the time that he came in. With KL Rahul not quite hitting at that particular point, somebody had to take the initiative.
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“Krunal took the initiative and eased it for KL Rahul. That’s what team spirit is all about – easing the pressure off your teammate. That’s why his batting was so impressive,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Meanwhile, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman also applauded Krunal’s batting and said that the all-rounder exhibited an ‘unbelievable execution of strokeplay’.
“He [Krunal] took the aggressive role and played his natural game. Just like the way he does in the IPL, just like he did in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He’s in good prime form and when you are in that kind of positive mindset, you are going to play those kinds of shots. Unbelievable execution of stroke play and fearless attitude,” Laxman said on Star Sports.
