Hardik blistering fifty lifts India to 175/6 after top-order wobble

Cuttack: Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya marked his return to competitive cricket with a blistering half-century that helped India recover from some early blows to post a healthy 175/6 in the opening T20I against South Africa here on Tuesday.

Coming back after 74 days following a left quadricep injury that forced him out of the Asia Cup, Pandya walked in at No 6 and immediately changed the tempo of the match.

India had slipped in both the power play and middle overs losing six wickets, but Pandya, who had proved his fitness at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda with a 42-ball 77 not out, counter-attacked with clean, fearless hitting to finish on 59 not out off 28 balls, laced with six fours and four sixes.

It was his sixth T20I fifty.

He began with two towering sixes against Keshav Maharaj just after Tilak Varma (26) fell, and then ripped into Anrich Nortje with a 17-run over, even stepping out to a 149kph thunderbolt to punch it for four, summing up the raw pace versus brute power duel that lifted the mood in the packed Barabati Stadium.

Marco Jansen tried to rush him with short balls, but Pandya pulled one with vengeance before racing towards fifty.

He struck a six and four off Lutho Sipamla (2/38) in the 19th over, and reached his half-century in 25 balls with a ramped six over third man off Nortje in the final over, celebrating it with a muted raise of the bat.

Pandya's late fireworks helped India add 53 runs in the last five overs, while Nortje, returning from injury, conceded 41 in four, including 12 in the final over.

On a fresh red-soil surface offering two-paced bounce, India struggled early after being sent in.

Abhishek Sharma (17), Shubman Gill (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (12) all fell inside seven overs as Lungi Ngidi (3/31) exploited the conditions superbly with clever variations.

He removed Gill early as the batter chipped to Jansen at mid-off, and later had skipper Suryakumar holding out to Aiden Markram.

Gill and Suryakumar took most of the strike in the powerplay, as Abhishek faced only nine balls in the first six overs.

The left-hander tried to force the pace immediately after the field restrictions lifted, but fell to Sipamla, thanks to a stunning sliding catch by the 2.06m Jansen sprinting across from long leg to fine leg.

His brief stay of 17 off 12 ended just as he began to find rhythm with back-to-back boundaries.

India made notable selection calls, preferring Jitesh Sharma over Sanju Samson for wicketkeeper's slot, while Hardik returned to lead the all-round options.

The Gambhir-led setup also opted for another like-for-like all-rounder in Shivam Dube.