Follow UsHardik Pandya made a stellar comeback to competitive cricket on December 3 (Wednesday), smashing an unbeaten 77 off just 42 to lead Baroda to their highest-ever T20 chase in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025–26 (SMAT), defeating Punjab with seven wickets in hand.
Baroda, after conceding a daunting 222/8 in their 20 overs, powered by a fiery 50 from Abhishek Sharma and a hard-hitting 69 from Anmolpreet Singh, were staring down a difficult chase. Their innings began solidly, with openers Vishnu Solanki and Shashwat Rawat putting up a 66-run stand. Another contribution of 47 by Shivalik Sharma set the stage. But when Pandya walked in at No. 4 in the eighth over, Baroda needed a decisive push, and he provided just that.
Once at the crease, Pandya unleashed a flurry of powerful shots and concluded the chase with seven boundaries and four sixes. He hammered three sixes in succession as well.
This innings marked Pandya’s first appearance since suffering a left quadriceps injury during India’s Asia Cup campaign. That injury sidelined him for several weeks, including the subsequent white-ball tour of Australia and India’s ongoing ODI series against South Africa. He had reported to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on October 15 to begin rehabilitation.
While his return to bowling in this match was underwhelming as he gave away 52 runs in four overs, taking just a solitary wicket, his innings with the bat more than made up for it. Baroda’s chase of 223 remains their highest-ever run chase in SMAT history, surpassing their previous best of 222.
With this performance, Pandya not only sent out a strong signal about his fitness and form, but also the fact that he’s ready for the T20I series against South Africa, starting December 9.