Hardik Pandya smashes a 37-ball century in 2020 DY Patil T20 tournament

What's the story?

Hardik Pandya, who plays for Reliance 1 in the 2020 DY Patil T20 Cup, smashed a 37-ball century against CAG on Tuesday.

The background

Pandya, who was out of action since September 2019 due to a back injury, made his much-awaited comeback in the ongoing DY Patil T20 tournament.

In his first match upon returning from injury, the 26-year-old smashed 38 off 25 balls for Reliance 1 against Bank of Baroda, besides picking up three wickets.

Pandya, who was delighted upon his return to the field, earlier took to social media to express his thoughts. Here is Pandya's post:

So good to be back out there on the field where I belong 😊 Your support keeps me going 🙏 pic.twitter.com/5UBjJ7HbW0

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 2, 2020

The heart of the matter

The Mumbai Indians star, who is playing alongside opener Shikhar Dhawan for Reliance 1, remains to be the major attraction in the tournament with the fans as well as the selectors keeping a close eye on his performances. Meanwhile, he once again grabbed the headlines on Tuesday (March 3rd) with his whirwind knock against CAG.

Also see – PSL 2020 points table

Returning to his beast mode, the flamboyant all-rounder, who amassed 105 off just 38 balls at a strike-rate of 269.23, reached his century in just 37 deliveries. During this knock, he smashed a whopping eight fours and 10 sixes. On the other hand, Dhawan, who is also making his comeback in the tournament after an injury, was dismissed for a duck after facing just five balls on Tuesday. Pandya's blitzkrieg took his team's total to 252-5.

What's next?

With the 2020 T20 World Cup beckoning, it is good to see a fully-fit Pandya unleasng his usual best with the willow. Given his current form, Pandya, who was sidelined for the past five months, might once again don the Blue jersey during India's upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa (beginning on March 12th) before joining defending champions Mumbai Indians for 2020 IPL.