Pandya showed off his batting prowess with a blistering knock of 31* (12).
India scored a humongous total of 211 for 4 in the opening T20I against South Africa in Delhi on June 9, with Ishan Kishan scoring a sublime 76 and Hardik Pandya delivering a stunning cameo of 31* in 12 balls.
Ishan appeared to be struggling with early movement of the ball, but the left-handed opener found his touch as the innings progressed. Kishan went on to score 76 off 48 balls at the Arun Jaitley stadium, helping India cross 100 runs in the first ten overs.
While Ishan kept the team going with some help from Shreyas Iyer (36 off 27), it was new captain Rishabh Pant who started hitting the ball around in the slog overs.
Pant scored 29 off 16 balls before Pandya made his way to the turf and exploded with a knock of undefeated 31 off 12 balls, with a 250-plus strike rate. Pandya hit 2 fours and 3 maximums, including an easy six off Anrich Nortje in the final over.
However, Pandya refused to take a single with in-form Dinesh Karthik at the non-striker’s end on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Former India cricketer Ashish Nehra, who worked with Pandya as Gujarat Titans' head coach, had a humorous message for the star all-rounder from Baroda.
"He should have taken a single before the last ball. It was Dinesh Karthik at the other end, not me," Nehra said on Cricbuzz.
Heaping rich praises on the Titans captain, the 43-year-old former cricketer added that Pandya’s batting prowess helps him to adapt to any role, regardless of the format.
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"Hardik Pandya is someone who can play all kinds of roles. He has got every type of batting up his sleeve. We have seen him performing in Tests and ODIs as well. With his batting ability, he can perhaps bat at any position... be it No.3 or 4 spot. He was captain for Gujarat and contributed with the ball as well. It was a different role. Before that, he wasn't bowling much and was batting down the order. He is back in his old role tonight... but he has got the ability to pull off any role with ease," said Nehra.
Head coach Rahul Dravid had also praised Pandya for his outstanding performance for his IPL side.
"It is really pleasing to have him back. Hardik at his best is a fantastic cricketer with both bat and ball. He's been very successful in white-ball cricket and has shown some really good form in this IPL as well," Dravid said at a press conference before the first game of the series.
"His leadership was very impressive in the IPL and he performed well. You don't have to be designated as a leader to be part of the leadership group," said Dravid.
The second T20I will be played in Cuttack on June 12.
(CricBuzz inputs)