'If Hardik hadn't...': Harbhajan Singh hails Pandya for heroic all-round performance vs South Africa in 1st T20I

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh lavished praise on Hardik Pandya for his phenomenal all-round performance against South Africa in the first T20I of the five-match series. He pointed out that if the all-rounder hadn't played his brilliant knock of 59, then the hosts wouldn't have a lot of runs to defend.

Pandya's knock carried India to a respectable total

Pandya joined the crease with India at 78/4 and turned things around with his unbeaten half-century. Not only did he carry the Men in Blue to a fighting total of 175/6 in 20 overs, but also became just the fourth India to hit 100 sixes or more in the shortest format.

“If Hardik Pandya hadn’t scored that knock, then there wouldn’t have been runs for India to defend. But in the end, actually, it didn’t make much of a difference, because where is 175 and where is 74? It is a massive thing to win a T20 game by 101 runs and that too in such conditions where it is easier to bat after dew comes in," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

"This is the mindset of Team India, they don’t care who wins the toss, all they care about is getting the result in their favour," he added.

ALSO READ: After achieving success with RCB in IPL 2025, Dinesh Karthik appointed as this franchise's mentor and batting coach

Pandya also contributed well in the bowling department and picked up the big wicket of David Miller. He recorded figures of 1/16 in his two-over spell in the match. The hosts made a total mockery of South Africa's batting order and bowled them out for just 74 runs. This saw them win the match comprehensively by 101 runs and begin the T20I series on a highly positive note.

Other great performances in the bowling department

Though Pandya deservedly won the Player of the Match award, there were multiple other bowlers who played key roles in India's victory. This includes the likes of Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, all of whom picked up two scalps each and didn't give away many runs in return either. They will now be aiming to take a formidable lead in the series by winning the second T20I that will be held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Punjab on December 11.