During India’s dominant win over New Zealand in the second T20 international in Raipur, Hardik Pandya went past Virat Kohli’s tally. No, it is not any run-scoring tally but Pandya overtook the former Indian captain to become the Indian with the second-most T20I appearances for India. It was Pandya’s 126th match, surpassing Kohli’s 125, who hung up his boots after winning the Player of the Match at the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Only Rohit Sharma (159) has played more T20Is for India than Pandya.
Hardik Pandya the MVP of India
Although Pandya didn’t have much to do in the Raipur T20I, he remains perhaps the most crucial member of India’s white-ball team. He is basically irreplaceable right now. Even though India have won titles without Jasprit Bumrah, without Pandya, the balance of the team just goes up in the air.
Now being the second-most experienced T20I player for India, Pandya remains the only cricketer in the country to have a double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs. In fact, Pandya, with a strike rate of 143.65, has scored 2,027 runs. It must be noted that Pandya started his early T20I career as a sixth bowling option. He has developed his bowling so much that now he can slot into any lineup purely as a bowler.
Most T20I matches played for India ft. Pandya
| Player | Span | Matches | Runs | Bat Av | 100 | Wkts | BBI | Catches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 2007-2024 | 159 | 4231 | 32.05 | 5 | 1 | 1/22 | 65 |
| Hardik Pandya | 2016-2026 | 126* | 2027 | 28.54 | 0 | 103 | 4/16 | 60 |
| Virat Kohli | 2010-2024 | 125 | 4188 | 48.69 | 1 | 4 | 1/13 | 54 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 2021-2026 | 101* | 2902 | 36.27 | 4 | 2 | 2/5 | 56 |
| MS Dhoni | 2006-2019 | 98 | 1617 | 37.6 | 0 | – | – | 57 |
Overall, Pandya is 13th on the list for the most T20 international appearances, currently joined by Mustafizur Rahman and Glenn Maxwell. However, by the end of the ongoing India vs New Zealand series, will get closer to the top 10 list. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan is at the 11th spot on the list and Pandya will join him by the end of 5th T20I in Trivandrum, considering he plays the entire series.
