The flamboyant Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who recently got blessed with a baby boy, had another reason to celebrate on this day three years ago when he scored his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka. Hardik’s Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) posted a throwback picture on social media where the all-rounder can be seen posing with a Player of the Match trophy as well as the series-winning trophy as India defeated Sri Lanka in the third Test during the 2017 tour.
Hardik Pandya went on to score a century in just 86 balls, which is the fastest by an Indian batting at No.8 as he did in India’s only innings in the Test. Captioning the picture, MI wrote: “Maiden Test ton is always special 💯. #OnThisDay in 2017, Hardik’s 86-ball hundred against Sri Lanka!”
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In the game, Pandya amassed as many as 108 off just 96 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes and helped India post 487 in their first innings. Sri Lanka got eventually bundled out for 135 and 181 in reply as India won by an innings and 171 runs and the series 3-0.
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Pandya hasn’t played any competitive cricket since turning out for India in T20Is against South Africa in September 2019. Successive attempts to return to the Indian team were foiled by injuries but with an extended downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the IPL set to begin from September 19, Pandya could finally return to action.
Mumbai is teh only franchise in the history of IPL to win four titles and would look to add a fifth title to their kitty. The IPL has been moved to the UAE this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, which has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world.
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The IPL 2020 final is likely to be played on November 10 and matches will be played in three cities – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
