A throwback to the rare and fiery day Hardik Pandya ripped through England with a 5-wicket burst in just 29 balls
There are cricketing memories that sneak up on us, like a surprise bouncer in a gentle spell. One such memory? Hardik Pandya's fifer in a Test match against England. Yes, you read that right. Before becoming a white-ball specialist and Team India's go-to man for T20 finishes, Pandya had his moment in red-ball glory. It happened in Nottingham.
The year was 2018. India was 2-0 down in the series. Morale was dented, the top order had cracked under pressure, and questions were flying in faster than bouncers. At Trent Bridge, however, the visitors found their groove. And in the middle of it all stood Hardik Pandya—raw, fearless, and ready to seize the moment.
India posted a decent first-innings score of 329. Kohli scored a fine 97, Rahane contributed 81, and Pandya added 18 lower down the order. England then came into Bat, confident and optimistic after good conditions at home.
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However, Pandya didn't waste time. In just six overs, he tore through England's batting lineup, taking 5 wickets for 28. That entire fifer came in the space of 29 deliveries, turning a tense phase into an Indian procession.
Joe Root, England's captain, was the first to go, caught behind by KL Rahul in a dramatic decision that flirted with the soft-signal rule. It was a sharp delivery, shaping away late, and Root was caught in two minds. He poked, edged, and watched in dismay as the decision was upheld.
Pandya didn't stop there. He dismissed Jonny Bairstow with one that jagged away, then got rid of Woakes with a well-directed bouncer that brushed the glove. Adil Rashid followed with another outside edge, and then Stuart Broad was trapped in front with an inswinger at 142 kmph. England went from 75 for 3 to 160 all out—five of those wickets to Pandya.
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In the second innings, Hardik truly excelled with the Bat—hitting a rapid 52 not out off just 52 balls.
India declared at 352/7, setting England a nearly impossible target of 521. While England responded with a century from Jos Buttler and a determined 62 from Stokes, Jasprit Bumrah's 5/85 ensured India won the match by 203 runs.
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This was India's seventh Test victory in England and a vital one in the context of the series. More importantly, it served as a reminder of Pandya's untapped potential in red-ball cricket.
However, since then, injuries and workload management have kept him away from the whites. He is now a mainstay in limited-overs cricket, with his pace bowling reserved for short bursts under floodlights or during IPL pressure moments.
One wonders—what if fitness had allowed? Could India have benefited from a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder for Tests? Might this Nottingham fifer have been the first of many?
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On that summer afternoon in Nottingham, Pandya didn't just give a performance—he made a statement that still echoes faintly in a format he no longer calls home.
While the 2025 series continues without him, it's worth going back to that brief, brilliant flash of red-ball magic. Because yes—Hardik Pandya once took a Test fifer in England. And it really happened.
