The Indian all-rounder, Krunal Pandya wrote an emotional post for his late father, while dedicated his maiden ODI fifty on his debut to his father on Tuesday. Hardik Pandya also wrote a moving post for his brother and India teammate Krunal, who broke down after getting his first ODI half-century. Krunal played an unbeaten knock of 58 not out off 31 balls in the first ODI against England in Pune as India won by 66 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Captioning his pictures on Twitter, Krunal Pandya 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.”
WATCH – Krunal Pandya Breaks Down While Dedicating His Fifty To His Late Father
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya wrote: “Papa would be proud. He’s smiling down on you bhai and sent an early birthday gift for you. You deserve the world and more. I couldn’t be happier for you bhai. This one is for you Papa.”
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 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/djQWaytETG
— Krunal Pandya (@krunalpandya24) March 23, 2021
Papa would be proud. He’s smiling down on you bhai and sent an early birthday gift for you. You deserve the world and more. I couldn’t be happier for you bhai. This one is for you Papa ❤️ @krunalpandya24 pic.twitter.com/xxn9wfF689
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 23, 2021
Krunal and Hardik had lost their father Himanshu Pandya earlier this year in January. Krunal broke down during an interview at innings break after his game-changing partnership of 112 runs with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket had taken India to a competitive 317 for 5. Krunal hit 7 fours and 2 sixes and helped India finish well in the last few overs.
With the ball, the left-arm orthodox bowler picked up his first ODI wicket when he dismissed Sam Curran. He finished his quota of 10 overs and returned 1 for 59. Hardik was also seen breaking into tears after Krunal surpassed the 50-run mark towards the end of the Indian innings.
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Hardik has been emotive and expressive about the relationship with his father. He has posted several messages on social media in his father’s memory. While Krunal had a debut to remember in many ways, Hardik couldn’t;t do much with the bat. He was dismissed for 1 run off 9 balls.
