India’s premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya was in full destructive mode on his return for the Men in Blue during the T20I series opener against South Africa in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. The right-hander unleashed a fierce assault on Keshav Maharaj, smashing two sixes off three balls. Pandya took charge in the 13th over of India’s innings.
Maharaj delivered a floated ball targeting middle and leg, which the middle-order batter dispatched over deep mid-wicket for a massive six. Moments later, Pandya cleared his front foot to punish another tossed-up delivery, launching it straight over long-on for yet another maximum. You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/636XAfW0
Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian squad for the first time since the 2025 Asia Cup. The Baroda-born all-rounder had been sidelined for two months due to a left quadriceps injury, which forced him to miss the white-ball series against Australia as well as the ODI matches against South Africa.
Hardik Pandya fires back after South Africa take control in 1st T20I
Hardik Pandya switched to full attacking mode after South Africa’s bowlers continued to cause serious damage in the opening T20I against India. Lungi Ngidi led the charge by removing Shubman Gill (4 off 2), Suryakumar Yadav (12 off 11), and Tilak Varma (26 off 32), while Lutho Sipamla dismissed Abhishek Sharma (17 off 12) and Axar Patel (23 off 21).
At the time of filing this report, India were 121/5 after 15 overs, with Pandya unbeaten on 26 from just 11 balls alongside Shivam Dube, who was batting on 1 off 2 deliveries. The pair will aim to finish strongly for the Men in Blue. Led by KL Rahul, India recently secured a 2-1 ODI series victory over the Proteas.
The Suryakumar Yadav–captained T20I side will now look to extend India’s unbeaten run in bilateral series following their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Meanwhile, South Africa will be eager to stage a comeback after losing their recent T20I series 1-2 to Pakistan.
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