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India all-rounder Krunal Pandya finally shared his feelings and revealed how he remained motivated even after not playing for the Indian national cricket team for almost five years. Even though he is not a part of the Indian setup from 2021, Krunal Pandya has continued to perform strongly for Baroda in the IPL and domestic cricket.
Despite being away from the international arena, Pandya has managed to impress everyone with his performances as captain of Baroda and for IPL teams like Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
5 years away from international cricket but Krunal Pandya is still in strong position
Krunal Pandya has played 5 ODI matches for India and scored 130 runs at an average of 43.33, along with taking a few wickets. In the T20Is, the off-spinner took 15 wickets and scored 128 runs in 19 matches. After his strong performance for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he got a place in the Indian team.
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He is now one of the most successful IPL players with three trophies with Mumbai Indians and two more with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2025 and 2026. Apart from his left-arm spin and ability to play aggressive cameos, his ability to adapt and flexibility made him a key player for RCB.
Krunal Pandya opened after a long break from Team India.
After helping RCB retain their title in IPL 2026, Krunal Pandya has looked back on his time with India as the proudest phase of his life. The all-rounder said that it was his childhood dream to play for the country and he was happy that he got that opportunity and was able to contribute in a few matches.
The Times of India quoted Krunal Pandya as saying, “There is no better feeling than playing for the country.” When I was six or seven years old, there was no IPL. The biggest dream for any cricketer was to play for India. I dreamed about it my whole life and in 2018 I got that chance.
I performed well in the 18 matches I played. I won man of the match in Australia and New Zealand and man of the series in West Indies. My performance with the Indian team was good. Later, when I got a second chance in ODI cricket, I again performed very well.
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Krunal Pandya talks about dealing with disappointment in career
Meanwhile, Pandya admitted that he has not been a part of the Indian team for a long time and still his ‘ultimate goal’ has always been to play for the country, but he does not think much about the call-up. He has now shifted his focus to performing at every opportunity, be it domestic cricket or the IPL, and helping his teams win trophies and big matches.
Pandya said, “Somewhere, you have matured and realize that you play this game because you love it. I don’t think much about selection now. Of course, I am human, and there are disappointments sometimes. But I am at a level where I want to do my job wherever I play. I want to win trophies, be it domestic cricket or IPL. Sometimes you have to remind yourself why you started playing cricket. I love this game very much. And that’s what keeps me going.”
