- By Vishal Pushkar
- Thu, 04 Dec 2025 04:53 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Hardik Pandya News: The presence of Indian superstar all-rounder Hardik Pandya and the fan frenzy around it has forced the organisers to shift the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Baroda and Gujarat to Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium from the Gymkhana ground here on Thursday.
Notably, the decision happened due to the unexpected crowd invasion during Pandya's presence on the crease. It was the second competitive match for the Indian all-rounder since his return to competitive cricket after a two-month injury break.
Officials stated that they made this decision after noticing unusually large crowds near the team hotel, practice nets, and ticket counters. These crowds far exceeded the usual turnout for a domestic game.
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"Fan turnout, enquiries, and crowd movement exceeded our projections by a huge margin. To ensure safety and smooth match operations, we decided to shift the match to Rajiv Gandhi Stadium," a senior organising official said.
After smashing an unbeaten 77 against Punjab, Hardik made 10 and took a wicket against Gujarat.
Hardik Pandya To Play In SA T20I Series
Pandya will play his first international T20I since India's Super Four fixture against Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup 2025 in September.
Pandya missed out on the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan (which India won) and the Australia white-ball tour due to injury.
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India squad for T20I series against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
Inputs from Agency
