If the fourth T20I between India and South Africa is called off, then India's record of not losing a single T20I series since the T20 World Cup 2024 will remain. However, the fifth T20I will almost be a do-or-die game in the context of the series.

In that case, India will have to win the fifth T20I to win the series, while SA will need to win to draw the series.

A long conversation between Rajeev Shukla and the umpires comes to an end. Still, no toss, but there will be another inspection at 9:00 PM IST. It is now more than 2 hours since the scheduled toss time.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla is now out onto the pitch at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. He is having an intense chat with the umpires, who are also out for yet another inspection of the conditions. 

The pitch has been covered. Precaution taken to protect the surface, while we wait for the weather to clear. Some dew is also falling now. The Indian bowling unit is having a practice session, meanwhile.

The first ball must be bowled by 9:46 PM IST. That is the cut-off for a 5-over contest today. It is looking more and more unlikely that there will be any match today.

"I'm befuddled by the umpires' decision (to give a new inspection time). The fog is clearly not going to get better as the night wears on. I've played first-class games with way worse fog than this," says former India cricketer Robin Uthappa, speaking on Star Sports.

The umpires have checked the conditions, and the decision they've reached is that another inspection will take place at 8:30 PM IST. The weather has shown no signs of getting better, and the fog is as thick as it was 1.5 hours ago.

The umpires are back on the field. The third inspection is taking place. The umpires are checking the pitch area, and then also trying to gauge the visibility from near the boundary line. 

From the visuals, it appeared that a heavy roller was brought onto the pitch at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Could that be a sign that the pitch is being readied for the game to start? The fog still doesn't look to have gone much.

If we do get any action today, how many overs will we get? Surely at least 8-10 overs per side will be cut, meaning we might get a 12-overs-a-side or 10-overs-a-side contest. You have to feel for the fans, who had come in numbers to watch a potentially crucial match in the series.

A new inspection will be held at 8:00 PM IST. The umpires are still not happy with the conditions at the Ekana Stadium even after their second check. However, the match has not been called off yet. We will have another check.

A loud cheer from the fans at the Ekana Stadium, as the umpires walk out to inspect the weather condition. However, the fog doesn't look any better than it was one hour ago, when the toss was originally supposed to be held.

The weather does not seem to be getting any better. In fact, the fog appears to be thickening at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Meanwhile, the players are still practising.

With time, the fog is getting thicker, and it's becoming difficult to say whether the match will happen or not."#indvssa4tht20i #indvssa #lucknow #ekanastadium #fog pic.twitter.com/LEP9KYYZeC

— Abhishek Bhardwaj (@Babhishek1220) December 17, 2025

If you wanted an idea of how heavy the fog is in Lucknow, well... it's very heavy. If this continues, a match may not even be possible today.

Latest Video from Lucknow stadium ind vs sa 4th t20i, Toss delay due to heavy fog pic.twitter.com/ptqbRKq3vr

— Abhishek Bhardwaj (@Babhishek1220) December 17, 2025

The toss has been delayed further! Excessive fog in Lucknow is the clear reason for the delay. The next inspection will be taken at 7:30 PM IST, which is more than half an hour away. If we do get a game today, many overs could be deducted.

A late spanner in the works for Team India. It will be interesting to see whether Sanju Samson is the one replacing Shubman Gill in the playing XI. Meanwhile, the umpires are set to inspect the weather conditions now.

Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the T20I series, sources close to the Indian team have told news agency PTI. This comes as another major setback to the T20I vice-captain, who has struggled for form of late.

Sanju Samson is expected to replace Gill as the opener.

Visuals show that Jasprit Bumrah is with the Indian team. He is warming up, and having a chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir. Looks like he is set to feature in the playing XI today for India.

The toss has been delayed. This is due to the extreme fog at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. India star Hardik Pandya can be seen wearing a face mask during his warmup. An inspection of the conditions will take place at 6:50 PM IST.

The Proteas will be desperate to bounce back after their defeat in the third T20I. Twice in this series, South Africa's batting has collapsed. They will be hoping to avoid that happening today.

We are just about 10 minutes away from toss time at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. A ground with big boundaries, known to usually favour spinners, today a different challenge can be expected.

India's dashing opener Abhishek Sharma is just 47 runs away from overtaking Virat Kohli for the most runs by an Indian in T20s in a calendar year. Kohli smashed 1,614 runs in 31 matches (avg 89, SR 147) in 2016. In comparison, Abhishek has scored 1,568 runs in 40 matches (avg 41, SR 203) in 2025.

India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah missed the third T20I, flying back home due to personal reasons. No official clarity has been provided yet regarding his participation today. It will be interesting to see if Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana continue to feature as India's frontline pacers.

Much like Shubman Gill, there are question marks over the form of Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar's form has been so poor that he does not rank among the Top 150 run-scorers in T20I cricket in 2025.

However, Suryakumar is just 30 runs away from completing the astonishing feat of 9,000 T20 runs, and he could achieve it today.

India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is under the scanner. Ever since coming back into the T20I side, Gill's form has been dismal. He hasn't managed even a half-century in his last 21 white-ball international games. 

With the T20 World Cup 2026 less than two months away, questions on Gill's place in the playing XI are rising.

Team India will be aiming to wrap up the series victory today. The men in blue lead 2-1 after three T20Is, having clinched convincing victories in the first and third games of the series. Victory today would ensure that India's streak of winning every single T20I series since the T20 World Cup 2024 continues.

A very warm welcome to one and all, to the live coverage of the India vs South Africa, 4th T20I! We are in Lucknow today, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Leading 2-1, India have the chance to clinch series victory if they win this match!

Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the game.