Krunal Pandya of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) BENGALURU: Almost 15 years ago, on the mats of Palej, a small town in Gujarat’s Bharuch district, a lanky youth learned the value of adaptation. Bowling with coated balls in local village tournaments, he quickly realized that there would be little help for spin and survival depended on discipline, control and innovation. Those early lessons in constant reinvention of oneself continue to define Krunal Pandya today as he enters his 11th season in the Indian Premier League.The elder of the Pandya brothers, Krunal, who has represented India in five ODIs and 19 T20Is, has emerged as a vital cog in the rotation of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the past two seasons. Krunal’s impressive spell of 2/17 in last year’s final earned him the Man of the Match award and underlined his value in pressure situations.
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Debut in India: Calls are getting louderAs RCB push to defend their crown, the 35-year-old left-arm spinner is also quietly nursing hopes of an Indian comeback, last wearing the national colors in July 2021.Years of hard work on and off the field coupled with the ups and downs of professional cricket have made Krunal more reflective and grounded. Now one of the most experienced all-around players in the league, he remains driven by the urge to develop and contribute.In an exclusive interview with TOI, Krunal – who has played 152 IPL matches since his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2016 – spoke about longevity, reshaping his bowling and his ongoing Indian ambitions.excerpts:You are in your 11th year in the IPL. How do you see your development as a player?Evolution is very rewarding and honestly when you start playing at the highest level you want to play as long as you can. For me, longevity is what I pride myself on. I’m in my 11th season and that’s a sign that I’ve been improving all the time. As a player, I have always focused on becoming the best version of myself.Much has been learned over the years. I have seen extreme days in the last 10 years. It made me more humble and gave me more gratitude towards sports and life. The goal is to keep doing what I’m doing, which is to improve and win games for my team.Is that where your desire to reinvent yourself comes from?Yes. Reinventing yourself is part of the process. The good thing about me is that I don’t shy away from trying new things. When I believe that something can work for me and give me an extra edge in my sport, I always give it a try.But it’s never about trying something flashy or doing something just to look cool. There is always a lot of logic and thought behind the changes, the execution and the result.I didn’t suddenly start bowling on a bouncer or a slinger overnight. It took a lot of practice.
Krunal Pandya (BCCI Photo)
Amidst your commitment to RCB and Baroda, where do your ambitions stand in India?It’s right there at the top of the table. There is nothing greater than playing for the country. The thought process of representing India never changes.Whatever opportunity I got to represent India, I did well. I am a firm believer in focusing on what is in your hands, i.e. playing your sport to the best of your ability.What specific mechanical shift helped you go from a collapsing front leg to a stronger vertical brace?It’s fitness. Sometimes we don’t highlight enough the work that goes on behind the scenes. At the end of the day, it’s important to acknowledge what worked.For me, the fitter you are, the more things you can adapt. Sometimes as a cricketer or even as a person you know what you want to improve but your body might not allow it because you are not fit enough to adapt to new things.Striving to become the best version of myself has helped me develop new things in my game.Did your new release height help you generate more spin and bounce off the surface?Yes, of course, I have worked a lot on my bowling. Now when I swing my left arm, I’m much higher in the action than before. I shortened my stride to get more bounce because you hardly get wicket spin in the IPL.So the question is: how do you fool the batsman? I worked on my action to get extra bounce by staying tall. I realized that the best cricket I played in my career came when I followed my instinct.Can you elaborate on how to make a short ball a goal option?People put a lot of emphasis on the I bowl short ball. I’ve seen some stats in the last two years where I’ve thrown the maximum amount of bouncers, which is weird.But I’m not targeting any particular delivery. All I focus on is staying one step ahead of the tee.
Krunal Pandya bowls from Royal Challengers Bengaluru. (NOT a photo)
Given the limited batting opportunities you’ve had in recent years, how have you worked on that?I haven’t had too many opportunities to bat in the IPL in the last 3-4 years. This means that the thought process remains the same. How can I develop? How can I improve? We’ve done incredibly well as a batting unit over the past two years, so I can’t complain about not batting. But yes, whenever there is an opportunity, I will give it 100%.Over 1800 runs and over 100 wickets in the IPL, how satisfying is it in his journey? If I have to sum it up in one word, thank you. And for me, the icing on the cake is the four trophies (three with Mumbai Indians) that I had the chance to lift. You are not one to back down from challenges. Does it feel natural to you?Yes. I learned it from my parents. He will never back down from anything. The willpower to keep fighting and never give up comes very naturally to me because of them.
