IND vs ENG: Krunal Pandya shattered his half-century of just 26 deliveries.© BCCI
Krunal Pandya hit the fastest half century by an ODI debutant in the England opener in Pune on Tuesday. Clashing with India at 205/5 in 40.3 overs, Pandya’s older brother crushed half a century of just 26 deliveries. He didn’t finish with 58 of 31 deliveries, hitting seven limits and two sixes. His explosive counterattack at the end – aided by KL Rahul 62’s 43 unbeaten balls – propelled India to 317/5 after being batted, a total that once seemed hard to come by.
It was an emotional start for Krunal, who recently lost his father, and he made little effort to hide it, pumping his fist and hitting his bat after every limit.
Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul have entered into a partnership of 112 out of just 57 deliveries to get the Indian round back on track, after a 105-point stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gave the hosts a good start.
Rohit Sharma fell for 28 after India got off to a slow start, but Kohli and Dhawan then stabilized the ship for India as they picked up the pace.
Kohli was ultimately laid off for 56 years, while Shikhar Dhawan came woefully close to his century, leaving for 98 years.
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Both Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya fell on the cheap, but Krunal and Rahul took over in the last 10 overs, launching a brutal assault on England’s bowlers.
Rahul hit four limits and four sixes in regaining his mojo after poor form in the T20 international series against England.
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