Hardik Pandya’s whirlwind 77 on return helps Baroda trump Punjab in SMAT


All-rounder Hardik Pandya made a sensational return to cricket on Tuesday, December 2. Enjoying for Baroda, Pandya produced an amazing knock of 77 runs, which performed a vital position in serving to his aspect defeat a robust Punjab crew within the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Hardik had been out of motion since India’s match towards Sri Lanka within the Asia CupThe all-rounder suffered a quadricep damage and was pressured to stay on the sidelines for greater than two months, which created important uncertainty relating to his speedy return to aggressive cricket,

The Baroda participant had been coaching on the Indian Cricket Board’s (BCCI) Heart of Excellence in Bengaluruand he finally returned to skilled cricket within the SMAT 2025. His comeback match was towards a top-tier Punjab aspect, which made the event much more important.

Enjoying in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Hardik didn’t have a perfect outing with the ball, as he conceded 52 runs in his 4 overs. He managed to select up the solitary wicket of Anmolpreet Singh, whereas Punjab surged to an enormous whole of 222 for 8 of their 20 overs.

Abhishek Sharma contributed closely to Punjab’s robust whole, as he performed one more sensible innings and scored 50 runs off simply 19 balls, which gave his crew early momentum.

Going through an enormous goal, Baroda made a stable begin to their innings, with Vishnu Solanki and Shashwat Rawat including 66 runs in simply 5.1 overs, which helped cut back the preliminary stress created by Punjab’s imposing whole.

Hardik entered the crease after the dismissal of Vishnu Solanki, at a time when Baroda had been already comfortably positioned at 92 for two in 7.2 overs.

From that time onwards, Hardik took issues into his personal arms and produced a terrific unbeaten knock of 77 runs off simply 42 balls. His innings was crammed with 7 fours and 4 sixes, and this commanding efficiency helped Baroda efficiently chase the 223-run goal in solely 19.1 overs, which accomplished a outstanding comeback for the all-rounder.

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Revealed By:

Kingshuk Kusari

Revealed On:

Dec 2, 2025