India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has revealed that he promised his girlfriend Mahieka Sharma that he would come out on the very first ball during their match-winning run in the Ahmedabad T20I and return to execute the plan. Pandya was named man of the match for his all-round heroics, a brilliant 63 off 25 balls and a wicket, as India beat South Africa by 30 runs 3-1 in the five-match T20I series on Saturday.
Pandya, when he walked out with India already in a good position, said the decision was made much earlier. “I told my teammates and partner earlier in the day that I will step up to the first ball and try to hit it for a six. I felt it was my day. I was confident it would work out,” Pandya said after the match. True to his word, he immediately stepped off the field, trusted his instincts and never looked back.
Pandya was in devastating form, racing to a half-century off just 16 balls, the second-fastest by an Indian in T20Is, after Yuvraj Singh’s iconic 12-ball knock against England in the T20 World Cup in 2007. He finished with five fours and five sixes as India climbed to a daunting 231 for 5. Tilak Varma played a perfect supporting role with a composed but with an impressive 73 off 42 balls, allowing South Africa a steep chase.
“I don’t play cricket to win the Player of the Match award. I have always played to win matches for my country,” Pandya said. He admitted he was unaware of the milestone during his shift. “I only got to know when I was out and back in the dressing room. The social media manager told me. My first reaction was that I missed out on the top spot, but I’m glad Yuvi pa still holds that record.”
Pandya also shed light on his performance against left-arm spinner George Linde, who troubled him earlier in the series. “He bowled brilliantly for me in New Chandigarh and that stayed in my mind. Today, the situation suited my style. I took a calculated risk, backed myself and it worked. No matter how many setbacks you face, it’s about coming back stronger. The journey, the preparation and the hard work never ends,” he said.
The most emotional moment of the night came after Pandya brought up his fifty. After the boundary at Corbin Bosch at the end of the 17th over, he turned to the stands and blew multiple kisses towards Mahieka Sharma. In a stadium packed with more than one million spectators, the gesture stood out as a quiet, personal celebration amid the roar. Hardik made a promise, he believed he would keep it, and he did exactly that in Ahmedabad.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 19, 2025
