NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Friday lit up the 5th T20I against South Africa with a powerful innings and an emotional celebration that quickly caught everyone’s attention. He smashed India’s second-fastest T20I fifty and then celebrated by blowing flying kisses towards his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, who was present in the stands.
The match was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where Hardik walked in to bat at No. 5 after captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed early. Having recently returned from a quadriceps injury, there were questions about his rhythm, but Hardik answered them in style. He reached his half-century in just 16 balls, making it the second-fastest T20I fifty by an Indian.As soon as he got to the milestone with a big six, Hardik turned towards the VIP stands and blew flying kisses in Mahieka’s direction. She was seen cheering loudly and smiling, clearly enjoying the moment. The gesture was caught on camera and soon went viral on social media.Watch:Hardik’s innings was full of clean hitting. He attacked the South African bowlers from the start and cleared the boundary with ease. One of his lofted shots was hit so hard that it accidentally struck a cameraman near the boundary, underlining the force behind his strokes.He stitched an important partnership with Tilak Varma, who also played a steady innings and scored a fifty of his own. Together, they pushed India to a massive total of 231 for 5, putting the hosts firmly in control of the match.With this knock, Hardik went past Abhishek Sharma’s 17-ball fifty to move into second place on the list of fastest T20I fifties by Indians. Only Yuvraj Singh’s iconic 12-ball fifty from the 2007 T20 World Cup remains ahead of him.The celebration also carried a personal touch. After his public split from Natasa Stankovic in 2024, Hardik has been more open about his life off the field.
