Mumbai: The Pandya brothers have had a dream run in the world of cricket and Krunal Pandya has revealed how it was former India and Mumbai Indians coach John Wright who had scouted the brothers and brought them to play for Mumbai Indians.
“Back in the day, there was a government recruitment speed post job and I received a letter for trials. My father told me that it’s a good opportunity, you may earn Rs 15-20k a month, so you should go and try it out. At the same time, I also had trial games coming up for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda team. I thought that I have worked so hard for the past 2-3 years and I have become a new player,” Krunal told Cricbuzz.
“So I thought I didn’t work hard for a speed post job. I did it to become a cricketer. So, I tore down the letter and threw it away, and decided to go for the trials. I went for the trials and I performed really well. I got selected for Baroda team. Hardik was already in the team. Syed Mushtaq matches were in Mumbai.
“Coach John Wright spotted me and Hardik, and he saw that these two brothers are good talents – they can both bat and bowl. So from thereon, he followed us up, and our lives changed. I feel the letter that I threw away worked in my favour. If I hadn’t played in the trial matches, our lives will be quite different,” he revealed.
While both the brothers have since gone ahead and played for the country, Hardik has become an integral part of the national set-up across formats.
IANS