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
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.
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
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.