New Delhi: After being released from the Indian Test side to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Hardik Pandya immediately made an impact by bowling Baroda to a 75 run win over Punjab in a Group A match at New Delhi.
Pandya, a member of the Indian Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia was allowed to play for Baroda and the all-rounder made a strong case for himself to stake a claim in the playing XI with a superb spell of fast bowling.
Pandya worked up good pace to finish with figures of 3/26 in 8.4 overs. He cleaned up Gurkeerat Singh Mann (62), Sandeep Sharma (10) and Siddharth Kaul (0).
Pandya was helped by his brother Krunal, who scored 78 off 105 with nine boundaries adding 102 runs with Aditya Waghmode (54) as Baroda scored a respectable 249 in 48.3 overs, batting first.
Irfan Pathan (37 off 40 balls) and Vishnu Solanki (24 off 17 balls) added 52 runs for the sixth wicket.
Australia drubbed India by 333 runs in the first Test match at Pune, which Pandya was not a part of. With the second Test slated to start from March 4 at Bangalore, which is known for assisting the seamers, Pandya’s chances cannot be ruled out.
Brief Score: At Karnail Singh Stadium: Baroda 249 in 48.3 overs (Krunal Pandya 78, Aditya Waghmode 54, Baltej Sibgh 4/47)