“We are inseparable,” Krunal Pandya on brother Hardik

It is a case where the brothers feed off each other’s success. There is no jealousy but only pride, and the camaraderie that both the brothers share is heartening to see.

It is a case where the brothers feed off each other’s success. There is no jealousy but only pride and the camaraderie that both the brothers share is heartening to see. Life had not been smooth for Krunal and Hardik Pandya. Their parents made sacrifices to get them to this platform and now it is all paying. You usually do not come across siblings especially in the sporting circuit who are so open about their relationship.

A report from DNA quotes Krunal saying, “We are inseparable. We are very, very close to each other. You can say that Hardik and I can’t stay without each other, 24X7 we’re together. I feel very proud when he does well for whichever team he represents. Same thing with Hardik, he feels very happy when I do well. With us, we’ve some different kind of relation, only. We can’t leave each other. It’s simply like that.”

The year started with the big news of Hardik’s national selection in the T20 side. He played a crucial part in MS Dhoni’s India side that had a good run early this year. Elder brother Krunal grabbed the headlines when Hardik’s IPL side Mumbai Indians’ (MI) dished out a whopping INR 2 crore to fetch him in the auctions.

They became the first set of brothers to featurein the same side in IPL and while Hardik’s form suffered a significant slump, Krunal rose to the occasion and has been one of the key players for MI this season. Krunal has scored runs at over 46 and at a strike rate of 192.56, adding to that he has six wickets to his name at just over sevenan over. After Krunal’s match-winning 86 from 38 balls against Delhi Daredevils (DD) at Visakhapatnam, Hardik posted this touching message on Instagram, “You beauty what a proud moment for metoo see you like this really blessed truly unbelievable innings you played God bless you always You always achieve more heights #brothersfromthesamemother” READ MORE: Brotherly Love: Hardik Pandya’s moment of pride; prays brother Krunal “achieves more heights”

It was not an easy ride for Krunal. In a report from Times of India, the brothers state that in 2015, Krunal underwent a grade 2 surgery in Mumbai for a tear in the shoulder. Even discussing cricket at the dinner table at home got painful.

“Last year, Hardik played (for MI) and I got the idea how to go about it, how to go about the IPL, how the set-up is. When he used to play for India, and he came back home, we used to discuss. We try to help each other and improve as cricketers,” Krunal told DNA.

Krunal reckons that it was Hardik’s national selection that brought the family a lot of happiness.

Credits coach

Krunal, 25, also credited his coach for the success. Having not played IPL, he did not have an idea on how to go about it. As mentioned earlier, his 22-year-old brother Hardik did help too. TRIVIA: A unique feat for the Pandya brothers

“It was tough for me to come directly and play IPL, which I’ve never played. But I felt my preparation was really good. My coach in Baroda, Jitendra Singh, was there with me on and off the field. Parents backed me even when I didn’t play and was injured. And of course, Hardik. They all really helped me do well in this particular tournament,” added Krunal.

The famous half-brothers from Baroda — Yusuf and Irfan Pathan brought a lot of fame to the city by representing India together. This pair of brother has already made the city proud by representing MI. Will they play for India together, we will have to wait and watch.