SMAT: Hardik Pandya shines on injury return, powers Baroda to big win over Punjab

New Delhi: Hardik Pandya made a stunning return from injury in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) tournament smashing an unbeaten 77 to power Baroda to a big win over Punjab in Group C encounter on Tuesday. Though all-rounder Pandya failed to showcase his class with the ball conceding 52 runs in his four overs with just a wicket, but his batting style impressed one and all in the Hyderabad stadium.

Pandya, along with two more bowlers, proved to be costly for Baroda allowing the Punjab side to pile up a mammoth 222 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. Skipper Abhishek Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh played sizzling knocks of 50 and 69 respectively to drive Punjab's innings swiftly ahead in the match. Naman Dhir with his blistering 39 runs helped the side cross the 200-run mark.

For Baroda, Raj Limbani shined with the ball picking three wickets and giving away just 36 runs in his four-over spell. Apart from Limbani's three wickets and Pandya's one wicket, Rasikh Salam and Atit Sheth contributed with one wickets apiece.

Hardik Pandya stood out in his 42-ball 77-run unbeaten knock smashing seven boundaries and four sixes, powering Baroda to a big win. It never looked like the right-handed flamboyant player had been out with an injury for a long time and was playing his first competitive match after few months.

Apart from his fighting knock which helped Baroda win the tie with 5 balls to spare, Vishnu Solanki, Shashwat Rawat and Shivalik Sharma also made handsome contributions with the bat. While opener Solanki played a blazing 43-run knock in just 21 balls, Shivalik was retired out on 47 while Rawat contributed 31 runs in the chase.

Hardik Pandya was named the Player of the Match for his match-winning innings that helped set up Baroda's massive victory. The flamboyant player will leave SMAT midway to take part in the T20I series against South Africa.