Krunal Pandya Deserves Your Respect

If anyone who is trolled more badly by the casual cricket watchers than Hardik Pandya is his big brother Krunal Pandya. The Pandya brothers have often faced criticism for their 'behavior' and lifestyle off the field - something which isn't related to cricket. 

Time and again the duo have proved why they were highly rated in the Mumbai Indians camp and why they keep knocking on the door of national selectors. While Hardik's absence in the international games has been due to the injury, Krunal has been in and out of the squad (which is fair enough due to the rise of Ravindra Jadeja) but the fact that he is constantly in the frame of things is a sign that the Pandya brothers are skilled enough to play at that level. Yet, they are mercilessly trolled for reasons only the trollers know. 

In terms of cricket, Krunal Pandya has been splendid for whichever team he has played for or playing. Till 2021, Krunal played for Mumbai Indians where his cricketing career took shape. From 2016 to 21, Krunal picked 51 wickets at an average of 34.76 and an economy of 7.36 in 1444 balls he bowled. In terms of batting, Krunal scored 1143 runs at an average of 22.86 and a strike rate of 138.54 in 825 balls he faced. It's a decent performance by any standards and includes various impactful performances that led to victories for Mumbai. 

It is true that Krunal's performances dropped down in the last two seasons as he couldn't make much of an impact and in turn, was finally released from the MI squad after the IPL 2021. Pandya worked on bowling skills with Rahul Sanghvi. 

"For the last 7-8 months, I have been working hard. Special mention to Rahul Sanghvi. The results everyone can see as I have tried to improve skillwise. Lot of times when you are playing shorter formats you don't realise a lot of things. I have been trying to increase my height with my release and some things on my grip. I took Rahul Sanghvi's help and it has worked," Pandya said after the man of the match performance against Punjab Kings. 

Like other slow left-arm orthodox spinners, Krunal has bowled the majority of his overs in the middle phase and some in the powerplay (according to matchups) throughout his IPL career. In the middle overs, Krunal has an economy of 7.29 and an average of 40.13 - meaning he has always been a run-rate controller and not a wicket-taker. However, in IPL 2021, Krunal had an economy of 8.76 and an average of 92 in the middle overs - 4th worst economy & 3rd worst bowling average of that season. 

However, things have turned for good for the 31-year-old. He has made a splendid comeback in the IPL 2022 and has got even better if I may say. Pandya's economy in the middle overs is 5.95 - third-best this season - and an average of 20.83 - fifth-best this season. 

While there is no point in comparison since the team dynamics and combinations are different but Krunal's counterparts - Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel - have been pretty ordinary in controlling the run rate in the middle overs; Jadeja's econ in MO 7.82 & Axar's econ in MO 7.75. 

Overall, Krunal has an economy of 6.64 in IPL 2022 at an average of 20.66, Jadeja's economy is 7.86 & an average of 45.6 while Axar has an average of 58.25 and an economy of 7.51. 

Among the trio, Axar Patel has improved a lot with the bat, scoring 145 runs in 87 balls he has faced - an average of 48.33 and strike rate of 166.66; Krunal has made 128 at an average of 25.6 and a strike rate of 143.82 in 89 balls he has faced; Jadeja has scored 113 runs in 93 balls at an average of 22.6 and a strike rate of 121.5. 

This isn't about why Krunal is better than Jadeja or Axar and should be in the Indian squad, no, Jadeja has been doing a fine job and is the best bet for that role. What Krunal deserves is respect for his cricketing skills and constantly trying to improve his game to make an impact on his team. 

Also Read: IPL 2022 - Scorecard