Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya: 5 times the brothers won our hearts

The Pandya brothers are the new sensation in Indian cricket. With flamboyant batting, agile fielding and dominating presence, the duo of Hardik and Krunal have created a unique identity for themselves.

An inspiring tale of resilience, hard work, and success, the Pandya brothers have scaled heights after struggling heavily in their early days. Their determination is reflected in the brand of cricket they play and on several occasions, the brothers have stolen the limelight with their entertaining performances.

Let us relive the moments when the Pandya brothers took the center stage and exhibited cricket skills of the highest standards.

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#5. Hardik loots 30 in the final over, 2017

Hardik Pandya demolished Pune Supergiants' Ashoke Dinda

In the league game at Pune, against Rising Pune Supergiant, Mumbai Indians were 154 for seven wickets after 19 overs.

On a flat batting track, Pune had effectively prevented Mumbai's batsmen's from cutting loose. The bowlers were tidy and the Mumbai batsmen a little rusty. It looked like Mumbai might finish the innings at a below par score. But Hardik Pandya had some other ideas.

Ashoke Dinda came to bowl the 20th over but he had no clue about Pandya's red hot form. Pandya who had played only nine deliveries till that time launched the first ball over the cover boundary for a six and repeated his exploits on the next ball also as the ball sailed over long-off.

After bowling two length deliveries the bowler tried to over-correct himself and bowled a full-length delivery on the stumps. With little room available to free his arms, Pandya went for the helicopter hit and disposited the white cherry into the long-on stand.

Three sixes in three balls and suddenly the momentum was back with Mumbai.

The first victory for Dinda in the over came on the fourth ball when the Mumbai batsman missed his stroke and edged it. But such was the menace of Pandya that even the edge went in the vacant-third man region for a four.

The right-hander slammed the fourth six of the over on the fifth ball by pulling a short delivery into the long-on boundary.

Dinda altered his line and bowled fuller delivery outside the off-stump which was called a wide and then was lucky to get away with a full-toss on the last ball as Pandya scored only one run off it.

With four sixes and one four in the over, Pandya collected 30 runs to pump Mumbai's score to 184 runs.

In the end, this assault proved insignificant as Pune aced the chase with seven wickets to spare.

#4. Krunal Pandya' announces his arrival by sinking Delhi, 2016

Krunal Pandya

To trouble the Mumbai Indians' batting line-up which was dominated by right-handers, Delhi Daredevils picked two leg-spinners and one left-arm spinner in the playing XI in the league match in 2016 at Visakhapatnam.

To counter this move, Mumbai promoted Krunal Pandya, their only left-hander in the top-order at number three and then as they say the rest is history.

Krunal blasted 86 runs off just 36 balls and enabled Mumbai to reach to 206 in their 20 overs. Krunal came to bat in the seventh over and on the sixth ball he faced, launched Amit Mishra over long-on. Later he collared Imran Tahir to a six down the ground and S Nadeem over midwicket to complete his fifty.

Throughout his stay at the crease, Krunal kept on attacking the spinners and unfortunately for Delhi, every hit from Krunal's bat was timed to perfection. The inning included six monstrous sixes and seven fours.

In the 18th over Chris Morris castled Krunal but by that time, the damage was already been done as Mumbai had amassed a massive score on the board. The innings was a breakthrough moment for Krunal who exhibited his full range of strokes and displayed his batting talent.

#4.Krunal's all-round performance keeps Mumbai alive, 2017

Krunal Pandya put a stopper on Gujarat's flow of runs

In the league game in 2017, on a tricky Rajkot pitch, Gujarat opted to bat first and got off to a promising start courtesy of their opener Ishan Kishan. Gujarat batsmen negotiated the threat of Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell McClenaghan effectively and were aiming for a big score when Krunal Pandya intervened.

Krunal came in the attack in the middle overs and kept the lid on the scoring rate with his smart variations and accurate bowling. He was rewarded soon as Dinesh Karthik fumbled and was stumped.

Ravindra Jadeja who was looking good was also sent back by Krunal by catching him on his own bowling. In the next over, the spinner accounted for Irfan Pathan as well to inflict further damage.

The Mumbai bowler finished his quota after claiming three wickets but most crucial was his economy rate. In four overs, the spinner gave away only fourteen runs.

Krunal then played an important role in Mumbai's chase and scored 29 runs from 20 balls. His runs in the final stages of the inning kept Mumbai alive in the game and forced a tie.

#2. Hardik blasts 61 off 31 at Mumbai, 2015

Mumbai Indians mainstay Hardik Pandya thrashed the opposition with the bat

Kieron Pollard is a beast specially born to bat in the death overs. His massive power and amazing clarity of mind enable him to go high and handsome in the final stages of the game and he is the perfect finisher in a T20 game.

But when Pollard stays at the crease till the 20th over and is on strike for only 21 balls in the last nine overs, then something is not right. Keeping Pollard quit and over-shadowing his batting is a monumental task and this feat was achieved by Hardik Pandya at Mumbai in 2015.

Against Kolkata Knight Riders, Pandya came to the crease to give company to Pollard in the 12th over and then the duo added 92 runs in the remaining overs. Pollards' contribution in this partnership was of 24 runs.

Pandya started slowly and announced his intentions in the 17th over by thrashing Umesh Yadav for four consecutive fours. In the next over, he hammered Sunil Narine for a six over long-on.

The Mumbai batsman kept his best for the penultimate over and collared Andre Russel for two fours and one six in three balls. Mumbai added 72 runs in the final five overs and these runs proved decisive as Mumbai won the match by five runs.

Pandya slammed a memorable half-century by scoring 62 runs from 31 balls and offered a glimpse of destructive batting.

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#1. Calm Krunal delivers in the biggest of games, 2017

Krunal Pandya put in a safe and secured innings to help Mumbai win the trophy by a single run

It was the final of the IPL 2017 and Mumbai Indians opted to bat first against Rising Supergiant Pune. The start was anything but expected and soon Mumbai was tottering.

Jaydev Unadkat sent back both the openers while Adam Zampa accounted for Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard in one over and Mumbai was reduced to seven down for 79 in fourteen overs.

But from the other end, Krunal Pandya batted with caution and kept the scoreboard ticking.The left-hander showed steel like determination and absorbed the pressure of the finals with ease. The accurate and probing bowling couldn't flinch him and Krunal slowly took Mumbai to a respectable total.

He batted with maturity and tagged with Mitchell Johnson to score a fifty run partnership for the eighth wicket. The Mumbai batsman upped the ante in the final overs and brought momentum back.

He scored 47 runs off 38 balls but these runs proved to be of immense value as Mumbai went on to win the game by just one run.