All eyes are on Hardik Pandya as he prepares to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), his first competitive outing since suffering a quadricep injury in September. His inclusion for Baroda in the domestic T20 tournament is being viewed as a critical assessment of his fitness ahead of the T20I series against South Africa. Pandya will aim to deliver strong performances across batting and bowling in his matches. A national selector is reportedly set to attend the games to gauge his match readiness. The 32-year-old all-rounder has been diligently working on his recovery at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. With the India vs South Africa T20I series starting on December 9th, the selectors are expected to name the squad imminently.
