Krunal Pandya brutally trolled after ordinary performance at Gabba

Krunal Pandya who made his debut in international cricket against the Windies at home earlier this month produced a below-par performance in the first T20I against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane and it earned him brickbats. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar questioned the decision of playing the 27-year-old all-rounder in place of a specialist bowler like Yuzvendra Chahal while the Twitterati was harsher on the newcomer with some even calling him a “below-average” and “overhyped” player.

Krunal, who was playing in his fourth T20I in Brisbane, was belted for 55 runs in four overs and he failed to pick a single wicket. Glenn Maxwell, who was the highest scorer of the Australian innings with 46 off 24 balls, was particularly severe against Krunal and hit him for three consecutive sixes. Another newcomer Khaleel Ahmed also went for runs (42 off 3) though he took a wicket.

Krunal’s ordeal placed him in the third position in the list of Indian bowlers with worst bowling figures in T20Is – after Chahal and Joginder Sharma. India lost the Brisbane T20I by 4 runs in the DLS Method and are trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.

Krunal has an ordinary stint in international cricket so far

Krunal has been impressive with his show in the Indian Premier League and got his first India call in the three-match T20 series against the Caribbeans at home. He has so far scored 23 runs and taken one wicket in four T20I matches. His debut match in Australia was a forgettable affair as the hosts made merry of his bowling and the critics were also asking why Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t given a chance ahead of Krunal. The player also managed just 2 runs from 4 balls with the bat, missing the chance to make a comeback in the game which could’ve taken the team home as well.

Here are some of the trolls targetted at Krunal after the 1st T20I: