'I hope I made you proud' - Krunal Pandya posts heartwarming message for his father after ODI debut

Krunal Pandya, on Tuesday (March 23) made a dream debut in One-Day Internationals. The Baroda star made his debut during the first ODI against England and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The southpaw scored a whirlwind fifty with the bat before picking up a wicket as India thrashed England by 66 runs to take the lead in the three-match series.

India were in a precarious situation when Krunal came out to bat. The hosts were reeling at 205 for 5 and were in danger of throwing away a good start when Krunal joined KL Rahul in the middle. At that time, it looked like England might restrict the hosts to a below-par total. However, Krunal launched a stunning counterattack and slammed a whirlwind fifty to guide India to an imposing total of 317 for 5.

His 26-ball fifty is now the fastest-ever ODI fifty by a debutant. Krunal also shared a century-plus stand with Rahul who remained unbeaten on 62. The duo added 112 runs off just 57 balls to help India recover from 205 for 5 and finish on 317. In reply, England were all out for 251 inside 43 overs despite being on 135 for 0 at one stage.

Krunal Pandya’s emotional message for father

Soon after the match ended, Krunal Pandya took to Twitter to pen down an emotional message for his father Himanshu Pandya who passed away in January after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 29-year old broke down twice on the field before taking to Twitter to write the emotional message.

Calling his father his biggest support, Krunal wrote, “Papa, with every ball you were always on my mind and in my heart. Tears rolled down my face as I felt your presence with me. Thank you for being my strength, for being the biggest support I’ve had. I hope I made you proud. This is for you Papa, everything we do is for you Papa ”

On the field, Krunal struggled to keep his emotions under control twice. He got emotional after receiving his maiden ODI cap from his brother Hardik. Krunal was then seen crying when he was being interviewed by the broadcasters after his impressive fifty.