DY Patil T20: Hardik Smashes Unbeaten 158 off 55 Balls

Navi Mumbai, Mar 6 (PTI) Fit-again India all-rounder Hardik Pandya blazed his way to an unbeaten 158 off just 55 balls against BPCL in a semifinal match of the D Y Patil T20 Cup here on Friday.

Pandya, who returned to competitive cricket in this tournament after undergoing a back surgery, struck six fours and 20 sixes during his blitzkrieg to help Reliance One post 238/4 in their 20 overs.

He had smashed his way to a sensational 105 off just 39 balls on Tuesday in a league game for Reliance One at the RCP at Ghansoli.

Pandya was in a red-hot form on Friday also as he punished the BPCL bowlers with an array of sixes.

The BPCL bowlers -- Sandeep Sharma (0/37), Sylvester D'Souza (1/56), India all-rounder Shivam Dube (1/40), Parikshit Valsangkar (0/28), Sagar Udeshi (0/45) and Rahul Tripathi (2/32) -- were hammered by Hardik, who looks all set to make a comeback to the ODI team versus South Africa.

However, India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who is also on the road to recovery from an injury, managed to score just 3 runs for Reliance 1.

In response, BPCL were bowled out for 134 as Reliance 1 registered a 104-run victory.

While bowling too, Hardik took a wicket and conceded six runs in one over. India speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked up a wicket for Reliance 1.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)