Bengaluru (Karnataka)

Indian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Krunal Pandya spoke on his batting being overlooked as a skillset and how the goal still remains for him to represent the country, having played his last international game almost five years back.

Krunal was speaking in the teaser of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) podcast. The veteran all-rounder was the 'Player of the Match' in the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS), in which his tight spell of 2/17 helped RCB to their first-ever IPL title win.

In the previous edition of the competition, Krunal was the second-highest wicket-taker for RCB behind pacer Josh Hazlewood (22 scalps) with 17 wickets in 15 games at an average of 22.29, with a four-wicket haul to his name against his former franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI).

While Krunal's impact with the bat was limited, his 73* against Delhi Capitals (DC), during which RCB was 26/3 while chasing 163 runs, was one of campaigns highlights for RCB and a remarkable glimpse into what Krunal is capable of doing with the bat. Over the years, Krunal's impact with the ball has outweighed the bat, at least in the IPL. Before this, his first half-century had come way back in his debut season back in 2016, a knock of 86 against Delhi Capitals (DC) in just 37 balls.

Speaking during the podcast teaser, Krunal spoke about how he has been given a different tag every season. He also spoke on his 119-run stand in that match against DC, which extended the team's unbeaten run away from home.

"Every season, I have been tagged differently, right? Initially, I was a bowling all-rounder. Then some places, I become a batting all-rounder. Batting is close to my heart. There is no doubt about it. And obviously against Delhi when I went to bat suddenly not batted in the tournament, and to go out there where we were 20 for three in five or something to win a game from there, and that was a tricky wicket, it was pretty special. I am close to 2,000 runs. People tend to forget my batting that much," he said.

In his IPL career, Krunal has made 1,756 runs in 118 innings at an average of 22.22 and a strike rate of over 132, with two fifties and a best score of 86. His debut season in 2016 was his best one with the bat, making 237 runs in nine innings at an average of 39.50 and a strike rate of over 191.

While he had a disappointing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 with the bat, scoring just 63 in four innings, Krunal reminded the Indian fans of his batting prowess in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy with 321 runs in seven matches at an average of 53.50, a strike rate of over 106, including a century and two fifties.

Krunal, who last played for India against Sri Lanka in the limited-overs format series back in July 2021, is still keen to wear the Indian colours once again, despite the massive competition in the Indian T20I scene, currently having secured back-to-back T20 World Cup wins.

"At the end of the day, there is nothing that beats playing for the country, and whatever time I played, I did pretty well, in those games when I played T20 and one day, but yeah, nothing compares to playing for the country, and the goal remains the same, to represent the country," he added.

The all-rounder said that he is at much better place in life with his understanding of the game.

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"So, the sky is the limit and anything can happen at any moment," he signed off.

In five ODIs and four innings for India, Krunal made 130 runs at an average of 65.00 and a strike rate of over 101, with a half-century on debut. He also has two wickets in the format. In T20Is, he has made 124 runs in 10 innings with a strike rate of 130.52, with a best score of 26* and taken 15 wickets at an average of almost 37 with a four-fer to his name.