'She's been nothing but the best': Hardik Pandya's 'special mention' for Mahieka Sharma after bashing paparazzi

Hardik Pandya's 'special mention' for Mahieka Sharma after bashing paparazzi

India defeated South Africa by 101 runs in the opening T20I of the five-match series in Cuttack on Tuesday thanks to an all-around performance by Hardik Pandya. Hardik smashed an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls, which helped the hosts post 175/6 in 20 overs after being reduced to 78/4 at one stage. Later, Hardik chipped in with a wicket with the ball as India bundled out the Proteas for 74 in 12.3 overs.

Hardik took a moment after the game to thank his girlfriend Mahieka Sharma, highlighting her qualities that has helped him. "A special mention to my partner. A lot of great things have happened; she's been nothing but the best to me ever since she came into my life," said Hardik in a video posted on BCCI.TV. "I think I have been a very honest and real person in my life, which has helped me a lot. I don't really sugarcoat anything. It's never about the other person or how others think - it's just about how I feel from inside," he added.

The comment by Hardik comes after he took to social media to vent his rage after witnessing paparazzi "cross the line" when filming and photographing Mahieka. Hardik made a strong statement criticising paparazzi for clicking his partner in a disrespectful and invasive manner.

"I understand that living in the public eye comes with attention and scrutiny-it's part of the life I've chosen. But today something happened that crossed a line," Hardik wrote on his Instagram story.

"Mahieka was simply walking down a staircase at a Bandra restaurant when paps decided to capture her from an angle that no woman deserves to be photographed from. A private moment was turned into cheap sensationalism," he stated.

Mahieka, a model and yoga instructor, and Hardik publicly acknowledged their relationship in October 2025, shortly before his 32nd birthday. The cricketer made the relationship official by sharing pictures and videos of the couple taking a private beach vacation and performing a puja together.