Hardik Pandya blows flying kiss after smashing 2nd fastest fifty by an Indian in IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I [In Picture]

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya dished out a special celebration to commemorate a historic quick-fire half-century during the fifth T20I against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday, December 19. The star player reached the milestone off just 16 deliveries, marking the second fastest T20I by an Indian player.

Hardik Pandya came out all guns blazing after arriving at the crease following Suryakumar Yadav's dismissal in the 13th over. He smashed six boundaries off his first seven deliveries to race off to 31 runs in no time.

The carnage continued as he hit his franchise teammate, Corbin Bosch, for three boundaries in the 17th over, which included a sublime six to midwicket to bring up his fifty. After achieving the feat, he blew flying kisses towards his girlfriend, Maheika Sharma, who was in attendance. Have a look at the moment right here:

The star all-rounder had once struck a 17-ball fifty during the clash between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL). He improved on that effort by one ball to record a new personal best at the highest level.

Hardik Pandya smashed 63 runs off 25 deliveries as India put up 231-5 in IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I

A near-perfect batting effort by Team India after losing the toss meant that they put on a mammoth score on the board. Early cameos by Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, followed by the explosive partnership between Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya in the second half of the innings, have guided the hosts into an excellent fashion to seal the series in outright fashion.

231-5 is now Team India's 11th-highest total in T20Is, and the second-highest at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It is also their third-highest T20I total against South Africa, after their efforts in Johannesburg and Guwahati in 2024 and 2022, respectively.

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Edited by Gokul Nair