Fans on the internet couldn’t keep calm, as seeing Shashank Singh’s swashbuckling innings reminded them of Hardik Pandya. Here’s how.
Shreyas Iyer missed out on a well-deserved century courtesy of Shashank Singh’s 16-ball onslaught for Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans during their IPL 2025 match on Tuesday. Iyer was sublime, batting on 90 with three overs to go. A hundred seemed easy for the taking, but it wasn’t to be, as Shashank took it upon himself to farm strike as bludgeon as many runs as possible. In the last three overs, Iyer faced just three legit deliveries and, hence, remained unbeaten on 97, with Shashank blasting his way to 44 and lifting PBKS to a formidable total of 243/6.
Hardik Pandya (L) and Shashank Singh at a BCCI event(X)
Iyer told Shashank, “Don’t worry about my hundred. Hit as many runs as possible”. And it was just the tonic he needed from his captain. Shashank went on a rampage, smoking six fours and two sixes. The Titans never recovered from this assault, and even though they pushed, PBKS sealed the win by 11 runs to pick up two very important points.
Shashank’s incredible batting earned him plaudits but, at the same time, comparisons with Hardik Pandya. And for all the fun reasons. Hardik is notoriously known for being in positions where, because of him – inadvertently, of course – his partner was denied a milestone. Hence, seeing Shashank, people on the internet couldn’t help but hark back to those instances.
Here are some of the memes and reactions, most of which are extremely funny.
When Hardik inadvertently denied Tilak a maiden fifty
Hardik was first dubbed selfish in a T20I match between India and West Indies in 2023. With Tilak Varma batting on 49, Hardik, at the other end, finished the game for India with a few deliveries left, leaving Tilak stranded one run short of what could have been his maiden ODI fifty.
Not too long ago, similar memes about Hardik did the rounds the morning after India beat Pakistan in their 2025 Champions Trophy match last month. With Virat Kohli nearing a century, Hardik began his innings with a bullet drive for four off Shaheen Afridi, making many fans believe he may finish the chase before Kohli could reach his milestone. But Hardik fell five balls later, and Kohli completed his 100, scoring the winning runs.
