India vs South Africa T20I Series: A five-match T20 series between India and South Africa is set to begin today, Tuesday. The first match will be played at the Barabati Stadium, where both teams will be looking to start the series with a win. India lost the Test series against South Africa 0-2 but then won the three-match ODI series 2-1. Now, the home team will be aiming to win the T20 series as well.
This series against South Africa marks the formal beginning of India's preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in February. The Indian team will play 10 T20 matches before the World Cup. After South Africa, they will also play a five-match series against New Zealand. India will play their first match of the World Cup against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7th.
India will be hoping for strong performances from batsmen like Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shubman Gill in this match, while Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy could impress with their bowling. All-rounder Hardik Pandya is also in excellent form. On the other hand, Dewald Brevis and Reeza Hendricks will be the key batsmen for the visiting team, while Corbin Bosch and Lungi Ngidi could trouble the hosts with their bowling.
Hardik Pandya's return is equally important for India. The all-rounder, who was sidelined for over two months due to a quadriceps injury sustained during the Asia Cup, made a spectacular comeback, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 42 balls for Baroda in a match of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and then taking one wicket while conceding 52 runs in his four overs.
Good news for South Africa is the return of fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who has been sidelined since last year's T20 World Cup final, strengthening their bowling attack. Marco Jansen is progressing well on his path to becoming a genuine all-rounder, having showcased his batting prowess with a brilliant 70 off 39 balls in the first ODI in Ranchi.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is also making a comeback to the limited-overs squad, although South Africa will miss star batsman Tony de Zorzi and young fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, both of whom have been ruled out of the five-match series due to injury.
IND vs SA Head to Head Records
India and South Africa have played a total of 31 T20 matches against each other so far. India has won 18 of these matches, while South Africa has won 12. One match ended without a result.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicket keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicket keeper), Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.
Cuttack Pitch Report
The pitch at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack historically offers good bounce, assisting fast bowlers in the early stages. It's generally not a high-scoring ground. Fast bowlers tend to dominate here more than spinners. Due to dew setting in the evening, which makes batting easier, teams often prefer chasing targets.
Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first here could prove to be the right decision, but if the team batting first manages to score 200 runs, it will make things difficult for the team batting in the second innings.
Broadcast and Streaming Details
India vs South Africa 1st T20I Match will be live telecast on Star Sports Network and live streaming of the match will be available on JioHotstar app and website.
