Krunal Pandya steps down as the captain of Baroda

Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya has stepped down as the skipper of the Baroda cricket team. The 30-year-old put forth his decision to Pranav Amin, the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) president, through an email on Friday, November 26. The Ahmedabad-born Pandya last led the team in the 20221-22 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy.

Baroda had a disastrous campaign under Pandya’s leadership as they managed to win only one game out of five in Elite Group B. Apart from their six-wicket win over Chhattisgarh, the team strained to a large extent. Pandya, himself, couldn’t make much of an impact, scoring 83 runs at an average of 20.75 and picking up six wickets at an economy rate of 5.94.

Krunal Pandya available to play

“This is to put on record that I will be unavailable to lead Baroda in the current domestic season. However, I will be available for selection to play for the team. I will offer my best as a team member and player to Baroda cricket. My support and contribution will always be in the best interest of the team,” Pandya wrote in an email, The Indian Express reported.

As per latest reports, the BCA is most likely to appoint Kedar Devdhar as the captain with left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt as his deputy. The duo is set to be appointed in the leadership positions ahead of the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. Devdhar has prior experience of leading Baroda after he guided them to the final of the SMAT earlier this year.

Pandya was appointed as their skipper two seasons ago, but he has got himself tangled into a few unwanted incidents on his journey. Last year, he faced backlash from Deepak Hooda, who alleged him for using abusive language. Hooda, later, moved to Rajasthan.

“At this moment, I am demoralised, depressed and under pressure. As from the past few days, my team captain Mr Krunal Pandya is using abusing language towards me in front of my teammates and also other state teams who have come for participation at Reliance Stadium Vadodara,” Hooda wrote.

Pandya has been playing domestic cricket since 2013 and has scored over 4200 runs to go with nearly 200 wickets.