Dinesh Karthik pens emotional message for Krunal Pandya on his b'day

Playing in the first One Day International of the three-match series against England in Pune, India scripted a stunning victory by 22 runs, courtesy of two debutants namely Krunal Pandey and Prasidh Krishna. Yesterday was an emotional moment for Krunal as this was the first time that he was representing the country after the demise of his father, Himanshu Pandya, who passed away in January 2021. The spin all-rounder was at his fluent best throughout the game and played a match-defining knock of 58 runs. The 30-year-old along with KL Rahul stitched a crucial partnership of 112 runs off just 57 deliveries to help India post a mammoth total of 317 on the board. Krunal then dedicated this half century to his deceased father.

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The elder Pandya registered a unique record of scoring the fastest half-century on debut in ODIs. The southpaw took 26 deliveries to complete his fifty. In addition, Krunal's score of 58 is the highest individual score for an Indian debutant while playing at number 7. What made the victory sweeter for Krunal is the fact that the Baroda-star is celebrating his 30th birthday just a day after the ODI win. While the batsman has been receiving warm birthday wishes from all over the cricket fraternity, one of the sweetest wishes came from India’s veteran batsman Dinesh Karthik.

Dinesh posted a picture of Krunal dedicating his half-century to his father with Hardik Pandya in the background with the heartwarming caption that read, "The blurred foreground, a proud background and an even happier man up above watching them. What a fairytale game it was yesterday for @krunalpandya24, but more importantly, this picture is a lot about @hardikpandya7 & his love for his brother, the bond they share as a family, and how they've gone from strength to strength post-January when they met with a debacle. Much love brothers, and a very happy birthday to you @krunalpandya24".

Hardik Pandya too wished his elder brither from his Instagram account. Pandya posted an emotional video with a famous bollywood song from the movie Yaarana in the background with a caption that read " We’re on this journey together bhai right from the start ?? The highs, the lows, I’m lucky to have you by my side. Happy birthday big bro ????