Hardik Pandya has become the fastest Indian player to get 100 sixes in only 101 innings during the first of a five-match T20I series between India and South Africa on Thursday (June 9) at Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, surpassing KL Rahul’s 129 innings and former Indian captain MS Dhoni’s 132 innings.
Following Ishan Kishan’s brilliance at the top of the lineup, skipper Rishabh Pant and vice-captain Hardik Pandya put the final strokes on India’s innings.
Pandya’s power-hitting abilities were on show as he went unbeaten on 31 from 12 deliveries, featuring two boundaries and three sixes.
Hardik returned to the national team after a stellar performance in the Indian Premier League 2022, wherein his Gujarat Titans won the trophy. Titans successfully beaten Rajasthan Royals in the season’s final, with Pandya finishing as the team’s top run-scorer with 487 runs in 15 innings.
Despite scoring 211/4 in 20 overs, the Proteas won comfortably with five balls to go in Delhi, with outstanding performances from Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller. The Proteas, who have not lost a single T20I series against the Men in Blue in India, would be hoping to add another series win to the records. The South African squad, captained by Temba Bavuma, leads the five-match T20I series 1-0.