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For long, India have yearned for a fast-bowling all-rounder good enough to fit into the national side, one who could somehow fill the massive void left by Kapil Dev a quarter of a century ago.
The meteoric rise of Hardik Pandya is being tracked closely by fans and critics alike, for the way he has come up the ranks. Coming from a humble background, Pandya has worked hard to reach where he is, and is destined to go towards further glories as he progresses.
Through his formative years, while facing the challenges a budding cricketer does, Hardik had the whole-hearted support of his brother, Krunal, who has carved a niche of his own due to his left-arm spin and hard-hitting lower order batting.
On his 24th birthday, his brother Krunal took to Twitter to wish his younger brother, and did not hold back in displaying his emotions in front of the world. In a message split across four tweets, Krunal poured his heart out about how important Hardik has been in his life.
Krunal has a substantial presence on Twitter, with more than 40K followers on the social media platform. He made his first-class debut in 2016 for Baroda, and was also snapped up by the Mumbai Indians for Rs. 2 crores in the IPL last year.
This is not the first time Krunal has taken to the popular social media platform to express affection for his brother. Recently, right after Hardik bagged the Man of the Series award for his notable performances against Australia in the ODIs, Krunal tweeted out a congratulatory message with Hardik’s picture.
He has also, in the past, not shied away from patting the India all-rounder on the back, be it when he smote Adam Zampa for three consecutive sixes, or received his Test cap from skipper Virat Kohli.
While Hardik has managed to make it to the top-most grade, Krunal is yet to debut for India, although he did enter the India-A squad under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid. Krunal had recently conceded that he dreams to play the World Cup for India with Hardik.
Both won the IPL together for the Mumbai Indians this year, with Krunal Pandya pitching in with a 38-ball 47 against the Rising Pune Supergiant in the finals.
One hopes that their brotherly love continues for years to come.
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