Former Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Krunal Pandya played a huge role in helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) win their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Krunal was named ‘Player of the match’ in the IPL 2025 final for his economical three-fer against Punjab Kings (PBKS). While Krunal has been a proven performer in the IPL, he has fallen out of favour with the selectors. In a few months, it will be five years since his last appearance on the international stage. The Baroda captain has opened up on his long absence from India's ODI and T20I squads. However, he has not yet given out and aims to don the India jersey again.
“At the end of the day nothing beats playing for the country. Whenever I had the opportunity, I felt I performed well in both T20s and ODIs. Even now, representing India remains the ultimate goal,” Krunal said on RCB podcast.
“I am a human being and sometimes it hurts that I have not played for the country for a long time. But it is part of the journey, and you keep doing your job.”
Krunal’s last white-ball appearance and numbers
Krunal's last ODI and T20I appearances were on Sri Lanka tour in 2021. In His last T20I appearance, he claimed a wicket for 16 runs from two overs. In his last ODI appearance, he conceded 37 runs from eight overs. In the run chase against Sri Lanka, he scored 35 runs from 54 balls.
He has played five ODIs, scored 130 runs, including an unbeaten 58 against England on debut. He has two wickets in the format. In 19 T20I appearances, he has 124 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 130.52. With the ball, he has 15 wickets at an average of 36.93, including a four-fer.
Competition for spin-bowling all-rounders
With Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is, Axar Patel has made the place in T20I squad his own. He played a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 and 2026 triumphs. In ODIs, Jadeja hasn’t retired yet. Also, Axar is in the mix as well.