Hardik Pandya Breaks Yuvraj Singh’s T20I All-Round Record but Misses Fastest Fifty

New Delhi, Dec 20: Seam bowling all rounder Hardik Pandya etched his name in T20I history by surpassing Yuvraj Singh with the most instances of scoring a half-century and taking at least one wicket in the same T20I match. Pandya has now achieved this feat four times, eclipsing Yuvraj’s tally of three.

While he fell just short of breaking Yuvraj’s record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian which Yuvraj reached in 12 balls against England in 2007 Pandya became the second-fastest Indian to a T20I half-century with his blistering 63 off 25 balls, laced with five fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 252.00.

Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Pandya admitted he was unaware of the milestone during his innings. “Winning games is what you play for and it’s always exciting when your contribution helps the team get over the line. I didn’t know until I got out,” he said. “Our social media team told me I was the second fastest. My first reaction was, ‘Ah, I missed the top spot!’ But happy that Yuvi holds that record.”

Pandya also made a crucial impact with the ball, conceding 41 runs in three overs but picking up the key wicket of Dewald Brevis, who had scored 31 off 17 balls. His all round performance helped India post 231/5 and secure a 30-run victory, sealing the series 3–1 over South Africa.

Returning from a left quadriceps injury sustained during the Asia Cup in September 2025, Pandya finished the series as India’s third-highest run-scorer with 142 runs in three innings at an average of 71.00 and a strike rate of 186.84. He also claimed three wickets at an average of 38.00.

In the series awards, Varun Chakravarthy was named Player of the Series after taking 10 wickets at an average of 11.20 with an economy of 7.46, while Pandya’s match-winning efforts earned him the final game’s Player of the Match.