Hardik Pandya turned up to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday in preparation for the IND vs SA 1st t20I. The match will mark his return to international cricket after a gap of two months, after the Asia Cup. Pandya turned up solo for practice with the rest of the Indian team scheduled to hit the nets on Monday.
The 32-year-old has taken a page out of Virat Kohli's book. The former India captain had arrived early in Ranchi to get a feel of the conditions. The results were there to see with Kohli winning the player of the series award. Pandya will hope his efforts on Sunday help him achieve something similar with the t20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon.
Hardik batted for a while in the nets, while also sent down a few overs. The 32-year-old has had no hiccups in his recovery and even played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to get match fit. Pandya played against Punjab and Gujarat before heading to Cuttack.
He bowled 4 overs in both games, returning with figures of 1/52 and 1/16. With the bat, Hardik scored a match winning 77 against Punjab to see them over the line in a tall chase of 223.
Hardik is crucial to India's balance in T20Is. Coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav have often used him as a second pacer alongside Jasprit Bumrah on spinning wickets. With the bat, not many in India boast the finishing and hard hitting skills of Hardik Pandya lower down the order.
India will have a full fledged training session on Monday evening, with Hardik to once again train alongside the rest of his teammates. The 5-match IND vs SA series begins on Tuesday.
