Just when the Indian cricket team looked out of breath and struggling to put up runs on the scoreboard after big names like Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma got out, ODI debutant Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul rose to the occasion and lit up the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium with fours and sixes.

And while Rahul took his time to settle in before going for the bigger shots, Krunal Pandya came to the pitch with the ‘go big or go home’ mentality.

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Looking to hit over the ropes from the very first over he faced, Pandya went on to score his first half-century in ODIs in just 26 deliveries, making him the quickest batsman in the world to reach the 50-run in on debut.

And while the 29-year-old was busy dominating the field, the pressure on the England bowlers clearly became visible in the penultimate over of the innings when pacer Tom Curran said something objectionable to the hitter which ended up rubbing him off the wrong way.

Fastest 50 by Krunal Pandya with a verbal between Tom Curran and Buttler Dhawan Gabbar pic.twitter.com/po1ay4L3nJ

— वि शा ल (@_iamvish) March 23, 2021

Instead of coyly ignoring Curran’s comments, an agitated Pandya ended up chasing him to “clear the air” but had to be stopped by umpire Nitin Mennon to avoid unnecessary conflict.

And while the theatrics were taking place in the middle of the Pune ground, the cameramen continued to focus on Indian skipper Virat Kohli to record his reaction to the incident and they could not have spanned onto the captain at a better time.

© Twitter - Cricket Fan TM

Kohli’s confused yet concerned expression ended up becoming a source of several memes online ever since:

When Krunal Pandya and Tom Curran broke into argument.

Virat be like : Main kya kru phir job chhod dun pic.twitter.com/WWjIA53bWS

— Saurabh Suman (@Saus2108) March 23, 2021

Tom Curran and Buttler sledged Krunal Pandya

and look who is gearing up

Feel all the BGM's of #Master#VaathiRaid pic.twitter.com/DB6qNO3NlP

— Cricket Fan™ (@Vijay_Kohli__18) March 23, 2021

Krunal Pandya and Tom Curran exchanging some pleasant words

Le Kohli : Mein auu kya ?

( Now u know how pleasant they really are )

— Sahil Waingankar Official (Iamsahil_02) (@Sahil55237943) March 23, 2021

Tom Curran and Krunal Pandya were arguing during the match.

Meanwhile KL Rahul to Pandya:#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/nN4fJb6kwa

— Praveen Singh (@Praveen93718143) March 23, 2021

*Krunal Pandya scores a 50*
> Dedicates it to his father

*Hits a six next ball*
> Dedicates it to Sam Curran's mother.

— Bengaluru Adda (@bengaluruadda) March 23, 2021

Pandya’s debut innings only added to the narrative of Team India’s bench bandwidth and the abundance of talent available for captain Virat Kohli to operate with ahead of every single match in all three formats of the game.

Krunal absolutely broke down in tears after receiving his debut cap as he embraced his younger brother Hardik in the middle of the field. After everything incredible that he achieved during the match, he’d raise his hands in the air to pay respects to his father, who’d recently passed away.

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