Krunal Pandya took 3/18 with the ball and also made 34 off 23 deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Lucknow Super Giants defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 wickets in the 10th match of IPL 2023. Krunal Pandya was the chief destructor, with both bat and ball. He first bowled a brilliant spell of 3/18 – his second-best IPL figures. All three wickets were the main SRH batters, including their captain, Aiden Markram.
Later, Krunal chipped in with vital 34 runs off just 23 balls. This included 4 boundaries and a maximum. He had a perfect game in the true sense.
Krunal Pandya won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant all-round show. In the post-match presentation, Harsha Bhogle asked his opinion on Markram’s wicket, to which Krunal gave an astounding reply.
“People say I don’t turn the ball, so that answers it, I guess,” exclaimed Krunal. “Whatever I did in the last 3-4 months – getting taller and getting the ball to turn away, it is all coming out really well.”
Indeed, Krunal hasn’t been a big turner of the ball historically. He always had a good arm ball. But, this year, Krunal has worked on turning the ball, which he himself confirmed.
His ball to dismiss Aiden Markram was a peach. It landed on a full length and turned just enough to beat Markram’s outside edge. Markram was astonished, and so were the viewers.
The track also suited Krunal. There was an ample amount of turn on offer. So that played a significant role too.
He also told, “This year I am in a good headspace. Once you have clarity up there, things fall in places. I’m very process-driven, don’t think about results. I took a break from cricket for a few months because I was just playing the white-ball formats, so wanted some time off to work on my bowling. What happened last two-three years was I kept getting wider and wider.”
Krunal Pandya started off his career on a high note. He was one of the main MI players in the early part of his career. But, Krunal went downhill in the last few IPL season and couldn’t perform according to expectations.
In a show on Star Sports, Krunal Pandya told Jatin Sapru – the interviewer- that he had a lot of expectations from himself last year or so. But this time, he has worked on honing his skills and kept no specific goals for IPL 2023. Krunal added that he rather wants to only enjoy his game this season.
The hard work is there for everyone to see. LSG would want him to churn out similar performances in the upcoming games. Up next, Lucknow Super Giants face Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
