The Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was the dominant figure in India’s 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International at Cuttack. He thanked Maheika Sharma, his partner, for supporting him at the most difficult times.
Hardik Pandya made his return in the T20I at Cuttack after a long spell due to the injury he suffered during the Asia Cup 2025.
But Hardik is not the type to play rusty. At a very precarious 78/4, he bashed his way through to a marvelous unbeaten 59 off just 28 balls and thus became the guiding star of India to a 175-run total.
Hardik Pandya sends love to Maheika after Cuttack heroics
After the amazing win in the T20I, Hardik Pandya was awarded the Player of the Match trophy. The player then had a special chat with the BCCI in which he confessed to the past struggles.
Hardik Pandya said that belief in oneself is a very crucial thing to get over any life struggle
“You must be a rockstar. You arrive, do the show for 10 minutes and the audience should go crazy. That has been the biggest motivation for me. Life has always given me troubles and I have always thought that I would turn them into a positive or at least a mild one. I always think that if you don’t believe in yourself, how would others believe you? The mindset was really about coming back stronger, bigger, better. Every time I walk in, I just feel that the crowd is waiting. They’ve come for this moment to watch me bat,” Hardik said.
Besides this, Hardik also mentioned that his girlfriend Maheika Sharma was the one who he depended on during the injury period and it was her he turned to for encouragement. He admitted that she had changed his life for the better since their coming together.
“Through my perseverance and having my ups and downs, I still managed to do most of the things gracefully and, this, in turn, made me more self-assured, made me support myself and have faith in my abilities. Injuries are a mental test plus lots of doubts come along. But the support system is the main factor. Not only the loving ones, but also my partner specifically, for that she is the one that has been best to me since her getting into my life. Her presence has brought a lot of wonderful things,” he concluded.
It is, however, important to mention that Hardik divorced his former spouse, Natasa Stankovic, in 2024 after four years of togetherness. The pair also had their first child, Agastya, born in 2020.
Subsequently, Pandya started to see Maheika, a model and Instagram influencer. This is, however, not the first time Hardik has made his relationship with the online character public.
Hardik Pandya also performed brilliantly in the first T20I
Getting his form back as a power hitter was not the only thing Pandya gained, he also bowled two overs in the first T20I picking up the crucial wicket of David Miller.
He bowled economically giving away just 16 runs and was looking sharp. However, unlike the Asia Cup, Hardik was used as a bowler after the powerplay and not at the start of the innings.
In the post-match, Hardik Pandya said that he is not picky about his role. His team will always need him to bowl, and he will do so because this is not about a personal choice but about who does the best job.
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