Baroda coach Mukund Parmar clearly remembers a phone call from his captain Krunal Pandya after his side conceded first innings lead to Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals last season, and were knocked out of India’s premier domestic competition. Krunal, who was missing with injury, made a promise to Parmar in February. “I will play all formats next season,” he said.
“I remember our captain Krunal Pandya had called the same day and gave me a commitment ‘I will play all formats next season.’ One could sense the hurt in him, to see Baroda lose the quarter-final as he witnessed from outside,” recalls Parmar.
Baroda fell short against an experienced Mumbai unit featuring the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur and Prithvi Shaw and the side was hurting. So was their captain. He got the opportunity to walk the talk in a few month’s time and Krunal was ready to go all-in for the 2024-25 season. The all-rounder featured in Baroda’s extensive red-ball preparations and led from the front in the preparatory KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) tournament where he scored a hundred in the final.
Then came the Ranji Trophy where Baroda couldn’t have asked for a better start as they beat Mumbai. Coach was happy to see his experienced player’s preparations in the off-season and the mentoring he gave the youngsters in the squad.
“If you see, Krunal has kept his word this year – the commitment to play all formats. I know he has trained hard in the off-season to keep himself fit for the grueling domestic season. It’s a mark of a leader you need in the team. Krunal has not just been a mentor to the young boys in our team – the likes of Mahesh Pithiya, Ninad Rathva, Shashwat Rawat, Atit Sheth, Vishnu Solanki, but has also been a brilliant captain on the field,” said Parmar.
Parmar, who took over the reins of Baroda from Gujarat Cricket Association, credits his captain to bring about the cultural change in the team. The shift is clearly paying off as Baroda were unstoppable in the first phase of Ranji Trophy where they won four out of their five matches to occupy the top spot in their group.
“Our skill-set has never been in the question. What was needed was to build a team culture. When you play for championship, individuals and their skills can win you a match, but if you have the right culture in the team, it can win you titles. Krunal joining the team last year in Jaipur brought a whole lot of positives. It helped the cause to create the culture I wanted. He helped bring a sense of ownership among every member,” explains Parmar.
The coach further added how Krunal has made his life easier with his leadership both on and off the field.
“To be honest, life of a coach becomes easy when he has a smart captain in the middle. For me, Krunal has been just that. He is brilliant on the field. Certain decisions he has taken ̀in the middle, be it the field setting, bowling changes or batting order – has been crucial in Baroda’s campaign so far,” said Parmar on Baroda’s performance in the Ranji Trophy.
The focus now shifts to white-ball competitions as the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy gets underway on November 23 and will be followed by the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Baroda, runners-up last season in the T20 competition, will be up against Gujarat in their opener in Indore and Parmar wants his side to focus on their “strengths”.
“They are a good T20 side. But we are focused on our strength. I know this team has the ability and the capabilities to back one another on the field. Our process will remain the same. Krunal and I have been in discussion on a systematic strategy for each of the opponents. However, we are not thinking too ahead of us. We will be taking one match a time and are mindful of not to overthink or complicate our process,” said Parmar.
Hardik Pandya will be featuring in Baroda’s campaign this season and Parmar revealed the youngsters are very excited to play with India’s premier white-ball all-rounder.
“With Hardik also joining the squad, it indeed will boost the energy level in the dressing room and on the field. Young players are very excited, and they can learn a lot from Hardik,” said Parmar.
Baroda squad: Krunal Pandya (c), Vishnu Solanki (v-c), Hardik Pandya, Jyotsnil Singh, Shashwat Singh, Shivalik Sharma, Bhanu Pania, Mitesh Patel (wk), Bhargav Bhatt, Mahesh Pithiya, Raj Limbani, Soyed Sopariya, Lukman Meriwala, Akash Singh, Atit Seth, Abhimanyu Singh Rajput, Ninad Rathwa, Chintal Gandhi
