Rajkot: India’s premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya produced a sensational knock, registering his maiden List A century while representing Baroda against Vidarbha in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Saturday.
Walking in at No. 7 with Baroda struggling at 71 for five after 20 overs, Pandya began cautiously, focusing on stabilising the innings. He reached his half-century in 44 balls before shifting gears in emphatic fashion.
The right-hander needed just 24 more deliveries to bring up his century, smashing 34 runs in the 39th over, which included five sixes and a four. Pandya completed his hundred in just 68 balls and eventually fell for a scintillating 133 off 92 deliveries, laced with 11 sixes and eight fours.
His commanding innings powered Baroda to a competitive total of 293 runs in their allotted 50 overs. Apart from Pandya, Baroda’s batting struggled, with no other batter managing to cross the 30-run mark.
For Vidarbha, Yash Thakur was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets, while Nachiket Bhute and Parth Rekhade chipped in with two wickets each.
The match marked Pandya’s first appearance for Baroda this season. Overall, he has featured in 119 List A matches, including 94 ODIs for India, eight games for India A, and 17 for Baroda. In List A cricket, Pandya has amassed 2,300 runs and taken 110 wickets.
Pandya has been in fine form in recent times. He scored 142 runs at a strike rate of 186.84 during India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa last month, marking a strong return after recovering from an injury that kept him sidelined for over three months. With India set to announce their ODI squad for the upcoming New Zealand series, Pandya’s performance comes as a timely boost for the national selectors.