Hardik Pandya Makes Sensational Comeback In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Brushes Off Fitness Concerns Ahead Of IND vs SA T20Is

Ahead of the upcoming T20Is against South Africa, Hardik Pandya made his comeback to competitive cricket while playing for his domestic side Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India's domestic T20 tournament.

Pic credit: BCCI

Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has made a sensational comeback to competitive cricket on Tuesday, December 2 after recovering from the left quadriceps injury he sustained during the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.

Ahead of the upcoming T20Is against South Africa, Hardik made his comeback to competitive cricket while playing for his domestic side Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), India's domestic T20 tournament in Hyderabad.

The 32-year-old Pandya played a brilliant, match-winning knock, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off just 42 balls (striking 7 fours and 4 sixes) and guided Baroda to a successful chase of a massive target of 223 runs against Punjab.

Hardik's batting display partly compensated for his modest bowling effort. He returned figures of 4-0-52-1, having taken most of his punishment early on from Punjab skipper Abhishek Sharma, who raced to a 50 off just 18 balls before falling on the very next delivery.

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The star all-rounder bagged the Player of the Match award on his comeback and put forth a strong case for his India return during the upcoming South Africa T20I series.

The five-game T20I series between India and South Africa will kick off on December 9. The selectors are expected to name a squad for the series in the next couple of days.

When Did Hardik Pandya Last Play For India?

Hardik Pandya sustained an injury during India's Asia Cup Super Fours clash against Sri Lanka on September 26 and has been out of action since then owing to a left quadricep injury.

He missed the ODI and T20I series against Australia and was also unavailable for selection for the ongoing 50-over series against South Africa.

India vs South Africa T20I Series Schedule

1st T20I, December 9 Barabati Stadium, Cuttack 7:00 PM IST

2nd T20I, December 11 Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Intl Stadium, Chandigarh (Mullanpur) 7:00 PM IST

3rd T20I, December 14 HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala 7:00 PM IST

4th T20I, December 17 Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow 7:00 PM IST

5th T20I, December 19 Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 7:00 PM IST