India all-rounder Hardik Pandya stole the spotlight on Friday during the fifth T20I against South Africa with a blistering knock and a heartfelt celebration that grabbed plenty of attention. 

Hardik smashed India’s second-fastest T20I half-century and celebrated the moment by blowing flying kisses towards his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma, who was watching from the stands. 

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Power hitting at the Narendra Modi Stadium

The match was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Pandya came in to bat at No. 5 after captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed early. Coming back from a recent quadriceps injury, there were doubts about his form, but he silenced them in style.

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He reached his fifty in just 16 balls, becoming the second-fastest Indian to do so in T20Is. After bringing up the milestone with a huge six, Pandya turned towards the VIP stands and sent flying kisses to Mahieka. She was seen cheering and smiling, clearly enjoying the special moment. The celebration was caught on camera and quickly went viral on social media.

Hardik’s innings was packed with powerful and clean hitting. He went after the South African bowlers from the start and cleared the boundary with ease. One of his massive lofted shots was hit so hard that it accidentally struck a cameraman near the boundary, highlighting the power behind his shots. After the innings ended, Pandya immediately went over to cameraman and gave him a warm hug.

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The Tilak-Hardik partnership sets a massive target

He also shared a crucial partnership with Tilak Varma, who played a calm innings and scored a half-century of his own. Together, they took India to a huge total of 231 for 5, putting the team in a strong position.

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With this knock, Hardik moved past Abhishek Sharma’s 17-ball fifty to claim second place on the list of fastest T20I fifties by Indians. Only Yuvraj Singh’s legendary 12-ball fifty from the 2007 T20 World Cup remains ahead of him.

The celebration also had a personal side. After his public separation from Natasa Stankovic in 2024, Hardik has been more open about his life away from the game, and this moment reflected that change.