Hardik Pandya makes blockbuster return in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; Abhishek Sharma left scratching his head
Hardik Pandya was at his best as his unbeaten knock helped Baroda defeat Punjab by seven wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. | Cricket
Hardik, who is all set to return to India's T20I side for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa, beginning December 9, hammered 77 runs off 42 balls, and he carried his bat through as Baroda pulled off the chase of 223 with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.
The right-hander played at a strike rate of 183.33 as he hammered seven fours and four sixes in his 42-ball knock. As a result of this performance, Baroda pulled off the third-highest chase in the history of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
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However, Hardik was far from his best with the ball in hand, leaking 52 runs in his quota of four overs. He only managed to pick up one wicket (Anmolpreet Singh) as Abhishek Sharma took a special liking to him inside the powerplay, hammering boundaries for fun.
It is worth mentioning that Hardik bowled with the new ball and he dished out the opening over of the game, which saw him leak 12 runs. Punjab captain Abhishek, currently the No.1 T20I batter in the world, scored 50 runs off 19 balls with the help of five fours and four sixes. This knock helped Punjab post 222/8 in the allotted twenty overs. However, Hardik's innings ensured the target was achieved without any fuss.
Hardik at CoE
According to ESPNCricinfo, Hardik had arrived at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on October 15 to begin his rehabilitation. He then took a three-day break for Diwali before resuming his fitness regimen from October 21 to November 29.
Hardik is also expected to play Baroda's next Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture against Gujarat on Thursday, December 4. His availability for the remainder of the tournament will depend on whether he's selected in India's T20I squad or not.
Baroda began the SMAT campaign on a bad note, losing their opening encounters against Bengal and Puducherry but the side has now bounced back in style, winning against Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
