Hardik Pandya made a stunning comeback with an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls in the 1st T20I against South Africa. Walking in at 78/4, his rescue act lifted India to 175/6, with fans hailing it as a ‘once-in-a-generational’ knock in a 101-run win.
Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a brilliant comeback to the national side in the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa at the Barabati Cricket Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9.
Putting into batting first by South Africa captain Aiden Markram, Team India posted a respectable total of 175/6 in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya led the Men in Blue’s batting as he played a brilliant, unbeaten knock of 59 off 28 balls, including 6 fours and 4 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 210.71. Axar Patel (23) and Tilak Varma (26) made valuable contributions to India’s batting, ensuring the hosts post a competitive total on the board.
For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi led the bowling attack with the figures of 3/31 at an economy rate of 7.80 in his spell of four overs, while Lutho Sipamla picked two wickets while conceding just 20 runs at an economy rate of 6.70 in three overs.
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Hardik Pandya’s Rescue Act with Comeback Fifty
Batting first, Team India’s top-order collapsed early with the dismissals of Shubman Gill (4), Suryakumar Yadav (12), and Abhishek Sharma (17), and the hosts were reduced to 48/3. Thereafter, Tilak Varma was joined by Axar Patel at the crease, and the pair formed a crucial 30-run stand for the fourth wicket before the former’s dismissal at 78/4.
After Tilak’s dismissal, Hardik Pandya walked in to bat, marking his return to international cricket after three months, and joined Axar Patel at the crease to carry on India’s innings. The star all-rounder looked more confident and calm as he took on the Proteas’ bowlers to the cleaners. Given the situation of India’s innings, Hardik decided to take charge and accelerate the scoring rate while rescuing the team from further collapse.
After the hosts were reduced to 104/5 in 14 overs, Hardik Pandya shifted his gear and completed his fifty in just 25 balls, while helping India add 71 runs in the next six overs, guiding the team to a competitive total of 175/6. The 32-year-old was apparently unperturbed by the pressure as he steadied India’s batting without any further collapse.
Before making his return to the national side, Hardik Pandya made his comeback to competitive cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 77* and 10, and picked a wicket each for Baroda against Punjab and Hyderabad, declaring himself match fit after a three-month injury layoff and signalling his readiness to contribute fully at the international level.
‘Once in a Generational Player’
Hardik Pandya’s comeback fifty and his heroics with the bat to rescue Team India from further collapse garnered praise and adulation, with fans and cricket enthusiasts lauding the star all-rounder for his performance that gave the Men in Blue to kick start the series with a victory in Cuttack.
Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), Hardik Pandya was hailed as a ‘once-in-a-generational’ player, given his impact and ability to turn the game around under pressure, while others commended his composure and finishing skills and lauded for making his comeback to Team India with a fifty.
Meanwhile, Team India took a 1-0 series lead with a commanding 101-run victory over the Proteas. Indian bowlers dismantled South Africa’s batting line-up as they were bundled out for a mere 74 in 12.3 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah (2/17), Arshdeep Singh (2/14), Varun Chakravarthy (2/19) and Axar Patel (2/7) combined to pick up eight wickets.
For South Africa, Dewald Brevis was the top-scorer with 22, while Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs scored 14 runs each.
