WATCH | Hardik Pandya Craze Peaks; Fan Enters Stadium, Clicks Selfie With Allrounder During SMAT Clash

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: There is zilch doubt over India allrounder Hardik Pandya's popularity. Now, that he is making a comeback to competitive cricket, there is a massive turnout at the Uppal stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday for a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Punjab and Baroda. Pandya bowled his full quota of overs and that must have calmed the nerves of fans as he would be an important member when India play the T20 World Cup next year. 

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During the game, while Pandya was bowling his final over - a fan breached security and entered the field to get a selfie with the cricketer, who obliged heartwarmingly. After getting the priceless selfie, he was nabbed by the security present at the stadium. Pandya then asked the security personnel not to be harsh with the fan. 

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Unfortunately, Pandya did not have a good time with the ball as he conceded 52 runs in his four-overs quota. He picked up one wicket. For the unversed, Pandya is making a comeback and hence would have been a little rusty. 

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Punjab Dominate

Thanks to Abhishek Sharma, Punjab have been unstoppable with the bat. First, it was Abhishek who got them off to a belligerent start. Once he perished, Anmolpreet Singh took over and scored 69 off 32 balls. Punjab have eventually posted a mammoth 222 for seven. For Baroda, Raj Limbani was the pick of their bowlers with three wickets to his name. The chase would not be easy for Baroda. In factm they would need a very good start to make a match out of this. Interesting to see how Pandya fares with the bat after an underwhelming show with the ball.