Overview:
He completed the milestone when he dismissed Tristan Stubbs in the third over of the first innings in Dharamsala on Sunday.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has become the third Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is. He joined Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah in the list. Pandya, who was on 99 scalps before the third match against South Africa, completed the milestone when he dismissed Tristan Stubbs in the third over of the first innings in Dharamsala on Sunday. He went wicketless in the second T20I in New Chandigarh, where India lost to the Aiden Markram-led team.
Hardik was out of action for two months due to a quadriceps injury he sustained during the last league match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2025, and returned to the Indian National Cricket Team in the series opener in Cuttack, where he amassed 59 runs off 28 balls, taking the team’s total to 175/6 after the Men in Blue were struggling in the middle with a lost of few wickets. Pandya also took a wicket in the form of David Miller and was named the Player of the Match for his effort.
“I was backing my shots as the wicket had something for the bowlers. It was about timing the ball and being gutsy. I was satisfied with my batting effort,” he had said after the match.
“The last six-seven months have been good for me in terms of fitness. I was away from loved ones for the last 50 days due to my visit to NCA. I wanted to make sure that everything was in place and covered. You get satisfied when results go your way. I have never thought a lot about my roles, and it doesn’t matter what Hardik Pandya wants. It is about India. I have always put my team first. This is my USP,” he added.
On Sunday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and invited South Africa to bat first in the third T20I. India made two changes to their playing XI, with Jasprit Bumrah missing out due to personal reasons. Harshit Rana replaced him. On the other hand, Axar Patel was unwell, and the team management decided to include Kuldeep Yadav.
South Africa added Corbin Bosch, Tristan Stubbs and Anrich Nortje to the playing group.