India allrounder Hardik Pandya smashed a 42-ball 77 not out for Baroda as the team chased down a 223-run target against Punjab to clinch their second consecutive victory at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Tuesday. Notably, this was Hardik's first outing in almost three months, as he returned to competitive cricket after a long injury layoff.
He sustained an injury during India’s Asia Cup Super Fours clash against Sri Lanka and has been out of action since. The allrounder subsequently missed the ODI and T20I series against Australia and was unavailable for selection for the ongoing 50-over series against South Africa.
However, after exiting the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and upon receiving RTP (Return to Play) clearance from the board, Hardik joined the Baroda team, led by his brother Krunal Pandya, for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.
Speaking of the match, Punjab posted 222/8 in their 20-over quota, riding on half-centuries from skipper Abhishek Sharma and top-order batter Anmolpreet Singh. Naman Dhir played a decent knock, scoring 39 off 28 balls, while Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Sanvir Singh finished with identical scores of 16 runs.
Raj Limbani was the pick of the bowlers for Baroda, while Hardik ended up conceding 52 runs in his four-over spell, managing just the lone wicket of Anmolpreet. Baroda got off to a solid start to their chase thanks to the 66-run opening stand between Vishnu Solanki and Shashwat Rawat.
However, two quick wickets brought Shivalik Sharma and Hardik on the crease. The duo stitched a formidable 109-run stand for the third wicket before Shivalik had to retire out. However, Hardik kept going and notched up seven fours and four sixes to score an unbeaten 77 as Baroda chased down the target with five balls to spare.
The all-rounder bagged the Player of the Match award for his knock and put forth a strong case for his international comeback. The selection committee will likely announce India’s T20I squad for the forthcoming five-game series against South Africa this week.