SMAT 2025: Hardik Pandya shines on return for Baroda, Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest centurion in tournament history

SMAT 2025

SMAT 2025: On a run filled day, batters made merry in different parts of India, headlined by Hardik Pandya and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

A day before the selection committee meet to pick the squad for the upcoming five-match T20Is against South Africa, all-rounder Hardik Pandya showed he is fit and ready to fire. Since picking up a left quadriceps injury during India’s victorious Asia Cup campaign towards the end of September, Pandya hasn’t played any international fixtures, and after regaining match fitness, the all-rounder turned up for Baroda in their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 fixture against Punjab in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

As has been the recent trend with the Indian team, he started with the new ball with the red-hot Abhishek Sharma ready to test him in this 11 am fixture at the RGIS. And as expected, the southpaw didn’t waste any time. Of the four deliveries Pandya bowled to the left-hander, he conceded a boundary and six. Even Prabhsimran Singh didn’t hold back, as the diminutive batsman picked up 14 runs off the eight deliveries that Pandya sent down to him. It included three boundaries. The treatment continued for Pandya for the rest of the inning as Anmolpreet Singh picked up 15 off 5 as his four overs cost 52 runs with just 5 dot deliveries to show.

Pandya shines with bat

With an eye on the T20 World Cup, India have been using Pandya as one of the frontline seamers, with Jasprit Bumrah or Arshdeep Singh being the other. While the two are certain to make the cut, fitness permitting, Pandya can still be a new ball operator if India’s think-tank decides to save up Bumrah for the second half of the innings. The five-match series against South Africa will provide answers to whether Pandya can continue to be trusted with the new ball, as dew will be a factor; his ability to hit the deck could be handy.

While his performances with the ball weren’t up to the mark, Pandya made amends with the bat. With the electrifying Punjab batting line-up coming up with another power-packed performance to put up a total of 222/8, thanks to Abhishek’s 50 and Anmolpreet Singh’s 69, Baroda needed Pandya to step up with the bat.