IND vs SA 5th T20I: Hardik Pandya fulfilled his promise to his girlfriend, giving her a flying kiss after his explosive fifty.

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya unleashed a devastating performance in the 5th T20 against South Africa. Hardik, who was also chosen Player of the Series, smashed a half-century off just 16 balls. This is the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in T20 International matches. The fastest was scored by Yuvraj Singh, who hit a half-century off 12 balls against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

Hardik is in brilliant form

Hardik played a blistering innings of 63 runs off 25 balls, including 5 fours and 5 sixes. The Indian all-rounder revealed that he had promised his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, that he would start attacking from the very first ball. Pandya kept his promise as soon as he stepped onto the field. After completing his half-century, Pandya turned towards the stands and blew several flying kisses to Mahieka Sharma.

Revelation after the match

After the match, Pandya said, "I told my teammates and my partner at the beginning of the day that I would try to hit a six on the very first ball. I felt that it was my day. I was completely confident that I would succeed." He batted exactly as he had promised.

The Indian all-rounder said after the match, "I don't play cricket to win the Player of the Match award. I have always played to win matches for my country." He admitted that he was unaware during his innings that it was the second-fastest half-century.

A touch of regret

Hardik said, "I only found out about it when I got out and returned to the dressing room. My social media manager told me. My first reaction was that I missed out on the top spot, but I'm happy that Yuvraj Singh still holds that record." He said, "George Linde bowled well against me in New Chandigarh, and that was on my mind. Today, the conditions were in my favor. I took calculated risks, trusted myself, and it paid off. No matter how many challenges you face, the key is to come back stronger. This journey, the preparation, and the hard work never stop."