New Delhi, Dec 10: After being named Player of the Match in the first T20I against South Africa on Tuesday, all-rounder Hardik Pandya set his sights on larger goals. Fully embracing his comeback, he aims to cherish every moment ahead.

Any doubts over his fitness were settled when he demonstrated his form in his first match since the Asia Cup 2025 injury. He delivered an impressive all-round performance, taking 1-16 with the ball and scoring an unbeaten 59 runs, aiding India’s 101-run victory over South Africa in Cuttack and securing a 1-0 lead in the series.

“You should be a rockstar, come perform for 10 minutes, and the crowd goes berserk. That has been the biggest motivation for me. Life has always thrown a lot of lemons at me, and I always thought that I would make lemonade. I’ve always believed that if I don’t believe in myself, how will others believe me? My mindset was really about coming back stronger, bigger and better,” Hardik said in a video shared by the BCCI.

“Every time that I walk in, I feel like the crowd has been waiting for this moment. They’ve come to watch me bat. Because I have stood strong, I have done a lot of things with grace. That has helped me become even more confident, back myself, and really trust my skill set. I really believe in myself as a player. Injuries test you mentally as well, and at the same time, it puts you in a lot of doubt,” he added.

Hardik also credited his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, for bringing positivity into his life before confidently stating that his goal is now to pursue bigger ambitions and excel in every opportunity he gets.

“A lot of credit goes to my loved ones. Special mention to my partner as well. She’s been nothing but the best to me since she entered my life. A lot of great things have happened since she’s arrived,” he said.

“I’ve been a very honest and very real person in life as well, which has helped me a lot. I don’t really sugarcoat a lot of things in my life. It’s never about the other person, never about how others think or how others perceive. It is always about how I feel inside. Now it’s a time where Hardik Pandya just wants to play the sport and enjoy every second on the ground. And yes, bigger and better will be the motto in my life,” he added.

Mumbai: is bracing for an unforgettable sporting spectacle as Lionel Messi, global football icon and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, prepares to land in the city for the G.O.A.T India Tour 2025. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the excitement on X, posting: “Counting down to 14th December! Looking forward to welcoming Lionel Messi to Mumbai… Our young players are eagerly preparing for this inspiring opportunity.”

Messi’s visit marks his first trip to India since 2011, when he captained Argentina in a friendly against Venezuela in Kolkata. This time, the legend arrives not for a match but for a grand-scale fan experience tailored exclusively for Mumbai. The anticipation has set the city buzzing, with fans gearing up for a night that promises to rewrite sporting memories.

The Mumbai chapter of the tour, scheduled for 14 December 2025, will take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, known for historic cricketing moments including India’s 2011 World Cup win and Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell. The venue will now welcome another sporting great, with organisers expecting over 30,000 fans to fill the stands.

The event will begin at 5 pm IST and is expected to go late into the night, blending football, music, choreography, and Mumbai’s trademark glamour. The Wankhede will transform into a pulsating arena with lights, performances and immersive audiovisual experiences designed to celebrate Messi’s extraordinary legacy.

Mumbai’s young footballers, academies, and fan clubs are preparing special tributes and gatherings ahead of the event. The G.O.A.T Tour also includes stops in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and New Delhi, but the Mumbai show is tipped to be the most spectacular. Hotels near Marine Drive and South Mumbai are already reporting heightened bookings as fans from across India converge for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Raipur, Dec 4: India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored his maiden ODI century in the second match against South Africa, said he felt “quite confident” about adapting to the No. 4 position, which he had never played in the 50-over format, adding that he felt privileged to receive such trust from the team management despite being a regular opener.

Gaikwad, who had batted 86 times in List A cricket but never below No. 3, started the series with 8 off 14 balls in Ranchi before scoring 105 off 83 balls at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.

His innings, which he said was his best across formats and levels, was laced with 12 fours and two sixes, at a strike-rate of 126.51. He reached his fifty off 52 balls, before accelerating in superb fashion to get his first ODI century in just 77 deliveries.

“The team management told me that I would be batting at No. 4 this series. I feel it’s a privilege to have that kind of confidence from the management towards an opener. So I took it that way,” Gaikwad said at the post-match presser.

“In the one-day format, even when I was opening the innings, I always tried to make sure that whenever I was set, I was able to bat till the 45th over and capitalise after that. So I knew somewhat how to play between overs 11 to 40, how to rotate strike, what the boundary options were. So I was pretty much confident about how I could go through the innings.

“It was just a matter of how I could play my first 10-15 balls, and after that, the process remains the same. I have been working really hard, and obviously been in good touch as well. So I wanted to make sure that whenever I am set, I make it a big one,” he added.

Gaikwad also stitched a huge 195-run third-wicket stand with batting stalwart Virat Kohli, who scored his second hundred in as many games and overall his 53rd ODI ton.

Asked about his partnership with Kohli, Gaikwad said it was a moment he dreamed of. “I have been able to witness him since last one week now,” he said. “Whatever practice sessions we have had, he is batting unbelievably well… the amount of time he has and how he is able to convert it in the match as well. And even this game, I enjoyed a lot. Mostly, I was trying to be in my zone and not really think about how he is batting or how he is able to score runs,” he said.

Gaikwad continued, “The chat in between was very clear. We had set 5-5, 10-10-run target and discussed how to manoeuvre the gaps or how to hit those boundaries, how we can rotate strike.

“So the chat was around that. I think we had really good running between the wickets as well. Obviously, you dream of these kinds of moments and to be able to have that kind of partnership, I really enjoyed a lot.”

But Kohli and Gaikwad’s centuries went in vain as a clinical and collective effort from South Africa guided the visitors to a series-levelling four-wicket win in the second in Raipur.