India vs Bangladesh: Ice-cool Hardik Pandya oozes swag in Gwalior cameo

India vs Bangladesh: In the heart of Gwalior, Hardik Pandya sauntered onto the scene like a rockstar returning to his favourite stage. The Men in Blue were chasing down a modest 128 set by Bangladesh in the first T20I, but Pandya made sure to turn a routine stroll into an all-out swagger show.

In Short

• Hardik Pandya's 39 off 16 balls seals India's 7-wicket win
• Pandya's no-look shot steals the show, leaving fans and commentators in awe
• Pandya's innings included 5 fours and 2 sixes leaving viewers spellbound

In the balmy evening air of Gwalior, Hardik Pandya strutted to the crease with the swagger of a man on a mission. The crowd at the newly minted Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Stadium already had their fill of excitement, thanks to a top-notch performance from the Indian bowlers, but Pandya was about to take it up a notch. After a sizzling return to the T20I squad, the ice-cool all-rounder had every eye glued to his bat as India took on Bangladesh in the first of a three-match series.

Pandya was back in blue after a brief hiatus. The target? A modest 128. But what was set to be a routine chase turned into a swagger-fest when Pandya walked out with all the calmness of a man picking out his morning outfit. With a cool 16-ball 39, Pandya had the crowd at the newly inaugurated Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Stadium on their feet, grooving to his every shot.

It started with the ball in hand, where Pandya made a neat return to international cricket, picking up a wicket and conceding just 26 runs in his four overs. But it was the fireworks with the bat that truly lit up the Gwalior skies. His innings included five crisp boundaries and two towering sixes, but the moment that stole the show? That cheeky, ridiculous, no-look shot off Taskin Ahmed. Taskin charged in with a short one, and Pandya—cool as ice—simply flicked it over the wicketkeeper’s head, barely acknowledging his handiwork as it sped to the boundary. Twitter went berserk, fans dubbed it the "ultimate swag" moment, and Ravi Shastri, on commentary, couldn’t contain his excitement, calling it "cheeky" while Tamim Iqbal hailed it as "special."

IND vs BAN, 1st T20I: HIGHLIGHTS FROM GWALIOR

Pandya, ever the nonchalant artist, didn’t even bother looking back to admire the shot. That’s Hardik—he doesn’t need to watch where the ball goes; he already knows. With the game virtually wrapped up, he put the final nail in Bangladesh’s coffin with a monstrous pull shot over mid-wicket, sealing the seven-wicket win with a jaw-dropping 49 balls to spare.

The man is a paradox: equal parts flash and finesse. One minute, he’s thumping it over the ropes, and the next, he’s striding back like he’s just finished a casual net session. Parthiv Patel, who was analysing the game on Sports18, captured it best: "The way Hardik Pandya has batted today, there is a lot of swag about his batting. But he is someone who can bat at number three and construct the inning as well and if he wants to finish the inning, he can do that as well. So I think you need some players like that so that gives a lot of confidence to captain. He made it look really easy. It wasn't the easiest to get to back off. That was slow. It was slight, but a lot of confidence and you have to play a lot of balls to come into this kind of game and Hardik Pandya showed that," Parthiv Patel said.

But Pandya wasn’t alone in this Indian masterclass. Debutant pacer Mayank Yadav, bowling with genuine heat, rattled the Bangladesh batting lineup, while mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy made his comeback with a spell that had the visitors tied in knots. Their combined efforts bundled out Bangladesh for a mere 127, a target that never stood a chance once India’s batters came to play.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav added his own brand of flamboyance, and Sanju Samson chipped in with a quickfire cameo, but all eyes were on Pandya—the man who made a comeback look like a celebration. India now leads the series 1-0, with a host of young stars lighting up the stage and a veteran like Pandya showing them how to steal the spotlight. Gwalior witnessed more than a cricket match—it saw a rockstar in action, strumming his bat like a guitar and finishing with an encore that left everyone wanting more. Pandya’s back, and the swagger is here to stay.