Pandya power: Hardik enters elite list alongside Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma; becomes fourth Indian to achi
Hardik Pandya plays a shot during the first T20 International cricket match between India and South Africa in Cuttack, India, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP) Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to competitive cricket with a half-century that helped India reach 175/6 in the first T20I against South Africa on Tuesday.Playing his first match after 74 days, Pandya came back following a left quadricep injury that had ruled him out of the Asia Cup. He walked in at No. 6 and changed the pace of the innings.
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India lost six wickets across the powerplay and middle overs. Pandya, who had shown his fitness earlier by scoring an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, took on the South African bowlers and finished on 59 not out off 28 balls.This was his sixth fifty in T20 internationals.Pandya began by hitting two sixes off Keshav Maharaj after Tilak Varma was dismissed for 26. He then scored 17 runs in an over from Anrich Nortje, including a four off a 149kph delivery. Marco Jansen bowled short balls, but Pandya responded with a pull shot before moving close to his half-century. He later hit a six and a four off Lutho Sipamla, who finished with figures of 2/38, in the 19th over.Pandya reached his fifty in 25 balls with a six over third man off Nortje in the final over. He acknowledged the milestone with a brief raise of the bat.India scored 53 runs in the final five overs. Nortje, playing his first match after injury, gave away 41 runs in four overs, including 12 in the last over.
Pandya becomes fourth Indian to smash 100 T20I sixes
Pandya’s innings included six fours and four sixes. With this knock, he became the fourth Indian batter to hit 100 sixes in T20 internationals.He joined Rohit Sharma (205), Suryakumar Yadav (155), and Virat Kohli (124) on the list. KL Rahul is next with 99 sixes.
