Hardik Pandya was star of the show in the 1st T20I against SA in Cuttack
Pandya's 59 off 28 came after the hosts were struggling to get a good score
India won the 1st T20I by a massive 101-run margin
After his headline-making return, Hardik Pandya will look to achieve an unprecedented double in T20I cricket when India take on South Africa in the second match at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on Thursday (December 11, 2025).
Pandya was sidelined for more than two months due to an injury he suffered during the India vs Sri Lanka match at the Asia Cup 2025. The 32-year-old, however, immediately reinforced his status as one of the world's best all-rounders.
On an evidently difficult Barabati Stadium pitch, he rescued the Indian innings, then struck with his first delivery as India defended successfully 175/6 for a massive 101-run victory. Amid the chaos of batting wobbles, the Baroda player slammed an unbeaten 59 off 28 with the help of six fours and four sixes. In the process, he also brought up his 100th six in T20Is.
After the break, the right-arm pacer delivered two overs for figures of 1/16 as the Proteas choked for breathing room in Cuttack. With the wicket of David Miller, Pandya has now dismissed the dangerous South African eight times in T20 cricket, most by any bowler against his former Gujarat Titans teammate, four more than Dwayne Bravo.
For the unversed, Pandya's three wickets, including those of Heinrich Klaasen and Miller (courtesy a sensational Suryakumar Yadav catch) in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final, proved decisive as India beat South Africa by seven runs.
"No replacement," as social media went berserk, as awestruck fans celebrated his all-round performance.
And tonight, Hardik Pandya could become the first-ever pacer in the history of T20I cricket to achieve a double of 1000-plus runs and 100-plus wickets in Men's T20Is, a feat already achieved by former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan (2551 runs and 149 wickets in 129 matches), Afghan Mohammad Nabi (2417 and 104 in 145), and Sikandar Raza (2883 and 102 in 127).
Pandya is also on the verge of making another T20I history. A wicket against the Proteas during this series, and he will become the first seamer to hit 100 sixes and claim 100 wickets. Only three players have achieved this double: Raza (133 sixes), Nabi (122), and Malaysia's Virandeep Singh (128 and 107 in 109).
Shakib, Nabi, Raza, and Virandeep are all spin-bowling all-rounders.
Hardik Pandya enters his 122nd T20I match with 1919 runs at a strike rate of 142.46, 100 sixes (1347 balls faced) and 99 wickets. His bowling figures read 4/16 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad (2023).
