Hardik clobbers his way to win on return to full fitness as he shows what he is made of when fully healthy.
Hardik shows what he can do when fit and firing.
Marco Jansen’s inducker stopped on Abhishek Sharma and slapped him on the midriff, causing him to collapse to the ground. Swishing, Tilak Varma missed. Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill both made timely catches to infielders.
All of the Indian batsmen, with the exception of Hardik Pandya, looked foolish due to the moisture and slowness of the Cuttack surface. Hardik overcame the challenging conditions and proved to be the difference-maker, hitting an undefeated 59 off 28 balls with four sixes on a surface where even South Africa’s hitters battled later in the evening.
Due to a quadricep injury, Hardik had been out of international cricket for more than two months. But he batted as though he had never left. He never looked back after hitting two no-look sixes in his opening four balls.
Hardik has mastered the art of six-hitting, rarely making a mistake and timing the ball flawlessly with the smoothest bat swings and stillest heads. even on this wet field. against pace as well as spin. Commentator Dale Steyn expressed that he was “frightened for his life.”
When Hardik rushed at Anrich Nortje and viciously belted a 149kph delivery right past him, he might have felt the same way. Hardik then calmly ramped it over deep third for six more after Nortje hit one into the deck at a same quick pace. After Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar, and Virat Kohli, he became the fourth Indian to reach the milestone in men’s T20Is with his 100th T20I six.
“I mean, I had to back my shots,” Hardik said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “At the same point of time, I realised that the wicket had a bit of spice. I had to be a little bit gutsy and it was more about timing the ball and not trying to break the ball. Yeah, I was very satisfied with the way I was batting.”
India had a below-average total when Hardik came out to bat at 78 for 4 in the 12th over. He carried India to 175 for 6, somehow improving a dire situation. Then, with the ball, he made an already fantastic scenario even better by getting David Miller to nip behind off the inside edge for one. In the end, South Africa gave up for their lowest T20I total of 74.
The existence of a fit Hardik gives India countless opportunities. He could guarantee batting depth all the way down to No. 8 by fitting in anywhere in the middle order. He gives India six real bowling options with the ball, three of which are aggressive. With Hardik in the team, India has won 26 of their 29 Twenty20 Internationals since the beginning of 2024. India has nine victories, two defeats, and two ties without him.
India is struggling to maintain equilibrium in the absence of Hardik, despite the fact that the nation has plenty of white-ball talent. For instance, Hardik’s ankle injury disrupted India’s lineup during the 2023 ODI World Cup. They had to replace Shardul Thakur with Mohammed Shami and add Suryakumar as a batter. Shami came in at No. 8 as a result of India’s forced compromise on batting depth. Ultimately, it didn’t work out for them.
Everyone was reminded by yesterday’s match in Cuttack that India is invincible when Hardik is both healthy and productive.