Enjoying the role of leading Lucknow Supergiants in the crucial business end of this IPL, Krunal Pandya on Thursday said that as a captain he takes good lessons from everyone but without copying anyone.
The elder brother of Indian T20 captain Hardik Pandya, Krunal took over the captaincy of the LSG after KL Rahul was ruled out due to injury with five matches left in the league stage.
“KL is a big loss for us, it is really sad. But I have accepted the challenge and looking forward to make it big.”
“Obviously, I know I’m the vice-captain for the team, and again I’ve never changed. I’ve always played cricket the way I wanted to play cricket. I’ve taken up the captaincy in the same way.
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“I don’t want to copy anyone. Yes, I want to learn good things from everyone, but at the same time I want to be myself.”
He will lead the team in their must-win match against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Saturday.
“If I am myself and if I do it my way then the chances of doing well for the team are more. I have worked hard and played cricket in a certain way and I apply the same while captaining this team.”
A former Baroda captain, Krunal captained the LSG in their home match against Chennai Super Kings, which was washed out on 3 May. With this, Krunal and Hardik became the first siblings to captain two IPL franchises.
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Since then, Krunal has overseen LSG’s two wins and one loss, which came against defending champions Gujarat Titans, who are led by his brother Hardik.
Krunal’s captaincy style and reading of the game has been praised by none other than the great Sunil Gavaskar.
Gavaskar was particularly impressed with the way the LSG captain defended 177 against Mumbai Indians to seal a thrilling five-run win.
Krunal said that he and Hardik have always looked at the game from the perspective of leaders, which has helped them captain their respective teams.
“We discuss cricket a lot, we discuss everything. We have played cricket in a certain way, whether we are leaders or not, we have always taken responsibilities and we have seen the game as a leader.
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“So when you become captain it becomes a bit easier because you always look at the game, how you can contribute and how you can win matches,” Krunal said.
Asked whether former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni played any role in his captaincy, Krunal said, “MS has been the greatest captain in Indian history.
“You learn a lot just by watching, I learned a lot from MS too. I want to take good things from everyone but I want to be myself, that way I can get the best out of myself.”
Third on the table with 15 points, LSG have better chances of making the playoffs than their Saturday’s opponents Kolkata Knight Riders, who are 12 points below.
“There is no Q (qualifying tag) attached to us as of now, so the focus is on playing the way Lucknow is known. I hope we play to our potential and win the game,” signed off Kunal.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,