India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a roaring comeback for India on December 9 in Cuttack against South Africa, marking his first appearance since September 26, 2025. He delivered an outstanding all-round show, remaining unbeaten with a score of 59 runs off just 28 balls, which included six fours and four sixes. In addition to his explosive batting, Pandya also contributed with the ball, taking one wicket for only 16 runs across his two overs, ultimately setting up a commanding 101-run victory for the host team.
Hardik Pandya on brink of historic feat in 2nd T20I vs South Africa
Having earned the Player of the Match award for his heroics in the series opener, Pandya will be looking to produce another stellar display in the upcoming second T20I. This match, scheduled for Thursday, December 11th, will be the first-ever T20 International held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The 32-year-old all-rounder, who made his T20I debut against Australia in January 2016, also has a significant milestone within reach. If Pandya manages to take at least one wicket in the second T20I, he will enter the history books by completing 100 dismissals in the T20 International format.
Indians with most wickets in T20Is:
| Players | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Best Figures | Fifers |
| Arshdeep Singh | 69 | 107 | 8.35 | 4/9 | 0 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 81 | 101 | 6.35 | 3/7 | 0 |
| Hardik Pandya | 121 | 99 | 8.22 | 4/16 | 0 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 80 | 96 | 8.19 | 6/25 | 1 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 87 | 90 | 6.96 | 5/4 | 2 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 49 | 88 | 6.83 | 5/17 | 2 |
| Axar Patel | 84 | 81 | 7.22 | 3/9 | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 65 | 72 | 6.90 | 4/8 | 0 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 42 | 61 | 7.35 | 4/13 | 0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 74 | 54 | 7.13 | 3/15 | 0 |
| Washington Sundar | 57 | 51 | 6.90 | 3/3 | 0 |
Achieving his 100th wicket in T20Is would place Pandya in an elite category. He would become only the third Indian bowler, following Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, to reach a century of dismissals in the T20 International format. Furthermore, reaching this milestone would also allow Pandya to become the first Indian cricketer ever to complete the prestigious double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in T20Is.
Overall, only four other players have successfully completed this rare double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is so far. This exclusive list includes Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza, and Malaysia's Virandeep Singh. In fact, the one wicket Pandya is chasing in the second T20I will not only help him complete the 1,000-run and 100-wicket double, but it will also make him the first Indian and only the fourth cricketer globally to complete the trio of 1,000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 sixes in T20 Internationals. Pandya reached the 100 sixes landmark during his match-winning knock in the first T20I in Cuttack. Currently, the list of players who have achieved this rare triple includes Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, and Malaysia’s Virandeep Singh, all of whom have completed a century of maximums. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan is the other cricketer to achieve the 1,000-run and 100-wicket double, though he retired from T20Is with 53 sixes.