India vs England: Passionate fans debate furiously on Krunal Pandya's ODI squad selection

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the Indian squad for the upcoming three-match India vs England ODI series. Three youngsters in the form of Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna have earned maiden ODI call-ups. The India vs England ODI series will get underway on March 23 in Pune with the final two ODIs to be played on March 26 and 28 at the same venue as well. 

Krunal Pandya's selection in Indian squad for India vs England ODI series has netizens divided

Suryakumar Yadav was deservedly selected after his stunning performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy followed by his fireworks at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the 4th T20 on his debut. Siraj has also reaped rewards of his consistent bowling in Test whereas Prasidh Krishna benefitted from his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he picked 14 wickets for Karnataka.

Notably, Mumbai Indians all-rounder and the elder brother of Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya has also found a place in India's ODI squad against England after his power-packed performance in India's premier domestic 50-over competition. The left-hander scored 388 runs in five matches at an astonishing average of 129.33 including two centuries and as many fifties. It is likely that Krunal Pandya has been selected as a like-to-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who has recovered from his injury a few days back and is expected to head straight to CSK's training camp soon directly.

Twitter was abuzz after India's squad was selected for the ODI series against England as fans shared their views. Several reactions poured in but one player whose selection caused a massive debate was Krunal Pandya. While some fans were miffed with the Baroda all-rounder's selection and the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Axar Patel not being favoured, others defended the decision citing his brilliant form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Here's a look at a few reactions.

Krunal Pandya and others in India squad for ODIs vs England

Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya could potentially make his ODI debut and the all-rounder will hope to put in impressive performances to gain some momentum going into IPL 2021, in which he will play for the Mumbai Indians team 2021.

India squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (Vice-captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Shreyas, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Y Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, W Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur.

SOURCE: KRUNAL PANDYA INSTAGRAM