The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - India's domestic T20 tournament - is in full swing, with several India T20I regulars also taking part in it. Arguably the most popular Indian cricketer, at least when it comes to Google search in 2024, is Hardik Pandya, who is representing Baroda in the tournament. The presence of stars like Pandya has drawn in decent crowds even for the domestic games, and a few fans even breached security and tried to enter the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers. But, as security attempted to force them off, the crowd cheered a warm gesture by Pandya.
A few fans entered the pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the venue for the semi-final between Baroda and Mumbai. The game was headlined by several current and former India regulars, such as Pandya, Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane. However, the fans' enthusiasm was short-lived, as they were taken off the field by security personnel.
Watch: Hardik Pandya's warm gesture wins hearts
That is when Hardik Pandya decided to come towards the boundary region, signalling to the security guards to be gentle while escorting the fans out of the ground.
Pandya's small but warm gesture drew a massive cheer from the crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Pandya went on to lose the semi-final, scoring only five runs with the bat. Baroda were swept away by an Ajinkya Rahane storm, as the Mumbai batter smashed 98 off 56 balls to chase down a target of 159 in just 17.2 overs.
Pandya also opened the bowling for Baroda, picking up the wicket of Prithvi Shaw. His ability to bat and bowl throughout the tournament is an encouraging sign for Team India.
Mumbai will face Madhya Pradesh in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The latter beat Delhi in the other semi-final, courtesy of a superb knock off 66 in 29 balls by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Rajat Patidar.