The swashbuckling India all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to action after an injury lay off when he turned up for Reliance 1 in the ongoing DY Patil Cup in Mumbai. Notably, Pandya has been out of action owing to back injury he suffered during the 2018 Asia Cup. It aggravated during the ICC World Cup last year and he had to finally undergo surgery.
The selectors initially drafted Hardik Pandya in India A's squad for the tour of New Zealand. However, the management withdrew his name as a safety measure with important series lined up alongside the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia later this year. Hardik Pandya was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for his rehabilitation and finally returned to action in the ongoing DY Patil Cup 2020.
Read More: Ravichandran Ashwin comes up with a hilarious and creative CV
The flamboyant all-rounder impressed with the bat in the game by smashing 38 off 25 balls. Along with the Baroda all-rounder, other national players Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also plied their trade in the match as they look to return from injuries. Hardik Pandya came out to bat at No.4 in the T20 game and played the knock that included one four and four sixes.
He came to the crease when Reliance 1 were 38 for 2, having lost Dhawan (14) and Vishnu Solanki (5). Hardik then stabilized the innings with Saurabh Tiwary (41) by adding 53 runs for the third wicket. Hardik started slowly scoring seven runs off the first 12 balls before taking spinner Varun Sood who he belted for four sixes before getting caught at the long-on area. The youngster also impressed with the ball scalping three wickets.
Read More: Glenn McGrath names three best bowlers of the current generation
Meanwhile, chairman of selectors MSK Prasad closely monitored the all-rounder's fitness level in his first game following back surgery from the stands. The support staff of his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians was also present in the ground to watch him from close quarters.
