Hardik Pandya Leaves SMAT Early, Set to Join India’s T20I Camp | Reports

Hardik Pandya has ended his SMAT run early and will now join India’s T20I squad in Cuttack on December 6 for the series against South Africa.

Hardik Pandya has wrapped up his short Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy(SMAT) outing and will join India’s T20I squad in Cuttack for the South Africa series. After receiving clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence, he played two games for Baroda on December 2 and 4.

Earlier plans for him to feature in Baroda’s December 6 match were dropped, and he will now link up with the Suryakumar Yadav–led side on the same day. Some players are expected to reach Cuttack on December 5, and Pandya may arrive early as final travel arrangements are being completed.

In the match for Baroda, Hardik impressed with a 77 off 42 balls while chasing 223 against Punjab, and followed it with a disciplined spell of 1/16 against Gujarat. With only 74 needed in the second match, he added 10 off six balls to finish the chase.

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Notably, due to a surge in fan turnout and security concerns around his presence, Baroda’s match against Gujarat was shifted from the Gymkhana ground to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Baroda won the match by eight wickets.