“I Tore Down The Letter”: Krunal Pandya Once Revealed How Rejecting A Government Job Opened Way For Pandya Brothers At Mumbai Indians

There was a phase in Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya’s career when he was even dropped from Baroda’s squad. In the very same phase, he got an opportunity for a government recruitment speed post job. However, Pandya decided to drop that opportunity for cricket and the rest, as they say, is history.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Pandya disclosed that his performance went down after the age of 13. On the other hand, his younger brother Hardik Pandya was doing really well and was already a part of the state team. Krunal’s father advised him to give a chance to the government job as it will ensure a fixed income for him.

On the contrary, Krunal was of the opinion that he did not work hard for a desk job. Instead, he gave trials for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda. Due to his hard work and performance, he was eventually selected for the tournament.

Krunal Pandya Revealed How Rejecting A Government Job Opened Way For Pandya Brothers At Mumbai Indians

Pandya revealed that he tore away the papers of the government job and it was a life-changing moment for him. The tournament took place in Mumbai and Mumbai Indians’ scouts were impressed with both the Pandya brothers. Former Indian coach John Wright was also working for the franchise and he played a big part in their signing.

“I thought I didn’t work hard for a speed post job. I did it to become a cricketer. I tore down the letter and threw it away, and decided to go for the trials,” Krunal once said to Cricbuzz.

“Coach John Wright spotted me and Hardik, and he saw that these two brothers are good talents – they can both bat and bowl. So from thereon, he followed us up and our lives changed. I feel the letter that I threw away worked in my favour. If I hadn’t played in the trial matches, our lives will be quite different.”

Hardik was picked by Mumbai in IPL 2015 auction, whereas Krunal was picked a year later. Both of them were an important part of the setup till 2021.

Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya to lead their respective sides today

Gujarat Titans will face Lucknow Super Giants tonight and the Pandya brothers will be on the opposite ends. Hardik will be leading the Titans, whereas Krunal is the captain of Lucknow. Under Hardik’s captaincy, Gujarat won the title last year, whereas Krunal is leading Lucknow in captain KL Rahul’s absence.

It is for the first time that two siblings are leading their respective sides in IPL history. They would want to get on top of each other in this close match. It is certain that both of them have came a really long way.