Hardik and Krunal Pandya hugged and joked Sunday as they made history by becoming the first brothers to captain two opposing sides in an Indian Premier League match.
“It’s a dream come true for us, leading our respective sides,” elder brother Krunal Pandya, 32, skipper of Lucknow Super Giants, said after winning the toss in Ahmedabad.
But he added: “Once we go into the field, the game face will be on.”
Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya, 29, adjusted his big brother’s hat and also told the host, who called it wrong, that the coin fell in Krunal’s favour.
“Big, emotional day for the family, our father would have been proud,” said an emotional Hardik, a regular in the national side and a much bigger star than Krunal.
“This is something that’s happening for the first time. Short of words, but the family is proud. One Pandya will win.”
The occasion was especially momentous since the two brothers were playing in their home state Gujarat in western India at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
Brothers have played against each other in the money-spinning T20 tournament, including India stars Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, but never before have two siblings led their teams.
The occasion arose when Krunal took over as leader of Lucknow after injured regular captain KL Rahul was ruled out on Friday for the rest of the tournament.
Hardik, a pace bowler and a hard-hitting batsman who has played 11 Tests, 74 ODIs and 87 T20 matches for India, led Gujarat to a fairytale title last year in the team’s debut season.
Krunal, a left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner, has played five ODIs and 19 T20 matches for India, with his last match in 2021.
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