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Krunal Pandya: I want to be consistent like Virat Kohli
Krunal has played 11 T20Is for India so far, and wants to imbibe Virat Kohli's hunger for success
All-rounder Krunal Pandya might have been overshadowed by the feats of his younger brother Hardik Pandya, but he has been taking rapid strides in the game as well. Krunal, who impressed with his performances for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, was selected for the T20I team that will tour West Indies next month.
The cricketer from Baroda admits that representing Mumbai in the IPL was the turning point for him.
“Biggest turning point for me was representing Mumbai Indians,” Krunal told BCCI.tv in an interview.
He impressed with his performance in the series between India A and West Indies A earlier this month, where he finished with seven wickets in three games, which included a five-wicket haul.
“India A tours are very helpful. In last 2-3 years, I have managed to tour South Africa, New Zealand and England. It’s an advantage because when you tour with the senior team, it’s not alien conditions to you,” the Baroda tweaker said.
“I am obviously looking forward to the West Indies tour. There is a lot of cricket for the rest of the year. Obviously, I want that when I go there, I want to perform consistently with both bat and ball,” he had said before the current ‘A’ tour.
He went on to reveal his idol in cricket, and yearned to achieve Virat Kohli's consistency. “From Virat, I want to find out how he stays so hungry to perform. I want to try to imbibe his consistency, scoring runs in all formats of the game,” he said.
Krunal also praised MS Dhoni and stated that he admires the wicket-keeper for his patience and his ability to remain calm under pressure.
“There is no bigger finisher than Mahi bhai — in Indian cricket and world cricket for me. He has performed day in, day out. I need to learn his patience and ability to read the situations,” he said about Dhoni.
The series against Windies starts from August 3, with the Men in Blue playing three T20Is front up.
“From there I have been able to showcase my ability,” he added.
