Krunal Pandya, after smashing the fastest half-century by an ODI debutant, couldn't keep hold of his tears and broke down remembering his father, who had died in January. It was a dream come true moment for Krunal as he blasted 58 off just 31 balls, but the man who had predicted his "time will come" a couple of months back wasn't there to cherish the moment. In a video posted by Mumbai Indians, Krunal eulogised about the sacrifices his father made for both him and younger brother Hardik Pandya, adding that they both are just "reaping the fruits of his efforts."
"It has been difficult last two months as well because of what happened with dad. One thing which I have realised that I have got or which we have got as a family a lot of hard work has been done by that man. We can say that we just reaping the fruits of his efforts. He was the one who planted the seeds and made it blossom," Krunal says in the video.
"Just two days before he went, on the 16th (January). 14th he called me after watching one of my knocks in the Syed Mushtaq Ali, which was in Baroda. He said that 'I have seen you play from the age of six but one thing I can tell after watching this knock is that your time will come now'," he added.
"So I was just joking around. I said 'Dad I've been playing for the last five years. I've played for India, I've done well. We just won the IPL trophy.' He said 'Whatever you have done till now is fine but I just feel that your time will come'. These were his last words to me. And then he went away after two days. So yeah, somewhere down the line I feel that his presence is there with me. It's difficult... I feel everyday that he is there. I miss him, in a good way. He was full of life in our family," he concluded.
Krunal's magical knock was studded with seven fours and two maximums as he guided India to a competitive total in the first ODI against England. The hosts won the match by 66 runs, with Krunal's innings playing a key role in that victory.