Krunal Pandya has put in a staunch shift in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad and he was in absolute rampant form to walk away with the bragging rights for his team. Krunal Pandya registered figures of 3 for 18 while Amit Mishra chipped in with numbers of 2 for 23.
Pandya was also instrumental with the bat as he hammered a swashbuckling 34 to help Lucknow walk away to the finish line without any real ado whatsoever. It needed Krunal Pandya’s knock to change the game as Rashid Khan threatened to take it away.
Here is what Krunal Pandya had to say about his break from cricket
Talking in the post-match presentation, Krunal Pandya said, “In the last four-five months, I took a break from cricket, where I was not playing. I just wanted to work on my skills, especially bowling. I was just playing the white-ball format and what happened in the last two-three years, I just went wider and wider [with my release]. So I just wanted to work on my action, wanted to get tall so that I can get that turn and get that arm ball going as well.”
He further said, “Very good day at the office. Having more right-handers [to bowl at], I knew I will be bowling four overs today and I was prepared for it. Overall, this year I am in a good headspace, I have much more clarity about how I want to go about my game, whether it’s bat and ball.”
Krunal Pandya is a titan redivivus now
The elder Pandya sibling added, “Everything, I guess, once you have clarity up there, things automatically fall in place. I am someone who is very process-driven, doesn’t think that much about result, and it is coming out really well.”
He also talked about his practice regime, adding, “I am trying to recollect how I played my first four-five years of IPL where I was batting at No.4 consistently for Mumbai [Indians]. In the last three years, for MI when I batted, my role was completely changed, I was batting at No.7.”
He concluded by saying, “So again, I am trying to find my rhythm and trying to find that consistency in how I would play at that number. Having clarity just helps you to go out there and execute your skills.”