Baroda cricket team star Hardik Pandya failed to deliver with the ball on his comeback to competitive cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 on Tuesday. The all-rounder returned to action for the first time since he picked up an injury during Asia Cup 2025. Pandya is set to feature in the IND vs SA T20is which begins from December 9 onwards and will play at least a couple of games in SMAT 2025 as preparation for his return to international cricket.
Hardik Pandya fails with, shines with bat in SMAT 2025
Hardik did not have the best of the outings with the ball on his return to cricket in the SMAT 2025 game against Punjab. The all-rounder conceded 52 runs in four overs and managed to pick just one wicket in the game. He only batter he managed to dismiss in the contest was Anmolpreet Singh as he got rid of the Punjab star for 69 runs in 14th over.
However, Pandya made up for his poor performance with the ball with a stellar 77-run knock in the run-chase. Hardik stayed unbeaten on 77 runs off 42 deliveries, guiding Baroda to a comfortable 7-wicket win against Punjab. Although his innings started on a slow note, the all-rounder picked up pace towards the end and finished with 7 fours and 4 sixes to his name, maintaining a strike rate of 183.33.
A pitch invader rushed out to the middle to greet Hardik mid-way through the match. The all-rounder maintained his cool, obliged to the request of the fan and even asked the security not to manhandle the fan.
Pandya’s knock on Tuesday won’t just be a confidence booster for the all-rounder but is also good news for India, especially with the T20 World Cup 2026 just around the corner. Hardik recently received a Return to Play (RTP) clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), paving way for his return to competitive cricket. He is expected to take part in a couple of more SMAT 2025 games before the IND vs SA T20Is – on December 4 against Gujarat and on December 6 against Haryana.
