That is it!!! Avesh Khan cleans up Keshav Maharaj and that will be the end of the match. India have won the contest by 61 runs and taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

IND 202/8 (20)

Gerald Coetzee is gone! A mix-up in runing between Coetzee and Keshav Maharaj, and India captain Suryakumar Yadav has hit the bulle's eye at the striker's end to provide India a ninth wicket. Coetzee was found well short of his crease and he departs for 23 off 11 balls.

SA 135/9 (16.5)

Marco Jansen is OUT! Ravi Bishnoi gets his third wicket on the final ball of his spell. He ends with figures of 3 for 28 in his four overs. India inch further close to victory. They need only the final two wickets of South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

While Varun Chakaravarthy did the majority of the damage, Ravi Bishnoi has broken the back of South Africa with his double-wicket over. South Africa are 7 down and they now need 110 runs in 42 balls. With South Africa's tail having loads of work to do, this match seems a mere formality now.

Varun Chakaravarthy has got another big wicket. David Miller departs for 18 runs off 22 balls. Chakaravarthy then bowls a dot ball to end his final over. He finishes with figures of 3 for 25 in four overs. This is terrific piece of bowling from the spinner. 

That is the big fish for India! Heinrich Klaasen departs after scoring 25 off 22 balls. Just when he started to accelerate, Varun Chakaravarthy got better of him. This is a big moment in the game. Chakaravarthy takes his second wicket.

SA 86/4 (11.3)

South Africa need 124 runs in 54 balls. The asking rate is 13.78 now. At least one betwen Heinrich Klaasen or David Miller has to take the responsibility of scoring some quick runs from here or soon South Africa will be out of the game. 

This is some great piece of bowling from Varun Chakaravarthy. He has bowled a two-run over against Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller. Chakaravarthy's figures are 1 for 17 after three overs. The asking rate for South Africa is already over 12.

Varun Chakaravarthy bowled it short on the second ball of the over and David Miller took full advantage of it. He rocked back and hit the ball for a six over the deep mid-wicket. A total of 10 runs came off the over.

SA 68/3 (8) 

South Africa need 145 runs in 78 balls. The asking rate for them is 11.15 now despite nine runs coming off the Hardik Pandya over. India are in a comfortable position at the moment while South Africa need a good partnership to make a comeback.

Varun Chakaravarthy takes only his second ball to claim a wicket. He has trapped Ryan Rickelton. The batter created some room for himself but ended up finding Tilak Varma at long-on. South Africa need 159 runs in 88 balls.

Hardik Pandya replaced Arshdeep Singh and he started with a three-run over. He bowled a wide and conceded three singles in it. Asking rate for South Africa is over 10, which should not be a concern at this point, but they need a good partnership.

Tristan Stubbs is gone! This is a big wicket for Avesh Khan. He bowled the back of length delivery outside off stump and trapped the South African batter. Stubbs hit it on the rise but failed to get it over Suryakumar Yadav at mid-off. He departs after scoring 11 off as many balls.

A fuller ball from Arshdeep Singh on the pads of Tristan Stubbs and the batter has hit it away for a beautiful six. The ball sailed over the deep square leg fence for the biggie. That is also the first six of the South African innings.

SA 27/1 (2.5)

Avesh Khan has conceded 9 runs in his first over. He was hit for two consecutive fours by Ryan Rickelton, but the pacer made a good comeback to concede only a single off the remaining three balls.

0.4 - Aiden Markram is undone by the swing there. The ball was pitch full and it got a hint of swing as Markram missed to time his shot well and only managed to get an edge into the hands of India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

SA 10/1 (1)

Aiden Markram is off the mark with consecutive fours. The first boundary came when Arshdeep gave width to the batter outside off stump but the second shot was an example of pure class. Markram drove the ball between mid-off and extra cover for the second four.

Arshdeep Singh has the new ball in hand. Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram have opened the batting for South Africa with the latter taking the strike. Here we go...

"I was in a zone, it was automatically flowing, so I let it flow. [what is intent for you?] It's a good question actually, if the ball is there to be hit, go for it. Focus on one ball at a time and that helps. The wicket does play a big role here, extra bounce and coming from India we do take time to understand the wicket. There's a huge wind blowing from one end and their bowlers bowled very well, our bowlers too would like to copy from them. [on his current form] If I think a lot I will get emotional. I waited for this moment for 10 years, I'm very happy, grateful and blessed. But I would like to keep my feet on the ground, be in the moment and enjoy. Looks a really good score, if we bowl to our 80% potential we should be fine," said the right-handed batter.

India scored just 40 runs in the last six overs, but thanks to the platform laid by Sanju Samson that the side still managed to cross the 200-run mark. Samson played a sensational knock of 107 while Gerald Coetzee, with figures of 3 for 37, was the best bowler for South Africa.

IND 202/8 (20)

19.1 - Axar Patel is OUT! He hit the short ball outside of stump well but found Tristan Stubbs in the deep on the off side. India are yet to cross the 200-run mark. They are at 199 for 6.

18.5 - Rinku Singh is gone! Gerald Coetzee was hit for a four on the previous delivery but he has made  a good comeback. It was slower short ball from Coetzee down the leg side to Rinku, but the India batter failed to hit it with his bat and rather got his glove brushed in it. Klaasen took a good catch behind the stumps. The change of pace did the trick for Coetzee. 

IND 198/6 (19)

Only 10 runs have come off the last 15 balls and India lost the wickets of Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya during the phase. This is a good comeback from South Africa. The boundaries have dried up for India.

Good change in pace from Gerald Coetzee and he gets the wicket of Hardik Pandya. It was a short ball outside off stump and Hardik hit it into the hands of Marco Jansen in the deep. Hardik departs for two runs off 6 balls. 

IND 181/5 (16.5)

Sanju Samson departs for the score of 107 off 50 balls. It was bowled a tad short from Nqabayomzi Peter on the body of Samson. The batter pulled it well but still found Tristan Stubbs at the deep mid-wicket as he was going against the wind. An entertaining knock from Samson comes to an end! He smashed 7 fours and 10 sixes.

14.4 - Tilak Varma has been dismissed by Keshav Maharaj at his individual score of 33 off 18 balls.

Sanju Samson slams century in 47 balls. What a terrific ton this is from the Indian opener! He has scored his second consecutive century in T20I cricket and has become the first-ever player from India to so so. Overall, Samson is the fourth player to achieve the feat in T20I cricket. India are 163/2 in 14.1 overs against South Africa.

Sanju Samson has been joined by Tilak Varma in the party. The southpaw smashed Patrick Kruger for a four and a six before giving the strike to Samson, who smashed a powerful shot for six.

This is the most expensive over of the match so far. Sanju Samson smashed Andile Simelane for two fours and a six in the over. He is literally toying with the South African bowlers here. The hosts badly need his wicket to have some respite.

Runs keep coming for India. Tilak Varma started the Nqabayomzi Peter over with a four via a sweep shot towards deep square leg. On the third delivery, Samson hit the ball away for a biggie. A total of 13 runs came off the over.

Sanju Samson continues to wreak havoc from one end. He began the Keshav Maharaj over with a six down the ground. Samson danced down the track to hit the ball over the long-on. On the final ball of the over, he hit a powerful shot for a four to the cow corner.

Patrick Kruger conceded 15 runs in his first over but managed to end it with the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav. The South Africa pacer was under tremendous pressure while bowling to the likes of Sanju Samson and Suryakumar in the over and he bowled three wides and two no-balls in it. Anyway, he had the last laugh as Surya handed an easy catch to deep square leg on the final ball of the over.

A bit short from Nqabayomzi Peter and Sanju Samson has dispatched it over the fence for a six. Nqabayomzi bowls it shot again and that is just another six from Samson. Not only the length was slightly poor, the line was also down the leg stump. That also brings up the fifty for Sanju Samson in only 27 balls.

That is a superb over from Keshav Maharaj. He took pace off the ball and kept his lines tight to concede only five singles in the over. Both Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav tried hard but failed to score any boundary in the over. Suryakumar even got a top-edge while trying to play a sweep shot, but luckily for him, the ball fell miles ahead the fine-leg fielder. 

IND 61/1 (7)

Gerald Coetzee was hit for a six by Sanju Samson on the third ball of the over but he made a brilliant comeback to eventually concede only 7 runs in the over.

Marco Jansen was taken to the cleaners in his second over. He was hit for 15 runs in the over. Sanju Samson started the over with a four and then hit a six. Suryakumar too hit a four later in the over.

Suryakumar Yadav has gotten into the act early! He slammed Gerald Coetzee for a four and a six in the same over in which the pacer got the wicket of Abhishek Sharma. SKY is batting at the score of 10 off 5 balls. 

A big wicket for South Africa as the dangerman Abhishek Sharma is gone! He wanted to hit the Gerald Coetzee on the rise but the bounce on the wicket got better of him. The southpaw ended up slicing the ball in the air before Aiden Markram took a superb catch running behind from mid-off.

IND 24/1 (3.1)

10 runs came off Aiden Markram's over. Both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson hit a four each in it. Samson got the four after hitting the ball over the mid-off fielder.

1.1 - Aiden Markram comes in to bowl and Abhishek Sharma gets down the track to execute a superb inside out shot for a four. That went crunching through the extra cover to the fence.

Marco Jansen has bowled a tight first over. He got his balls swinging and neither Abhishek Sharma nor Sanju Samson managed to connect any bit shot from the middle of their bats. Only two came off the over.

Marco Jansen gets ready with the new ball in hand. Sanju Samson is on the strike, Abhishek Sharma is at the other end. 3...2...1. Here we go...

None of the Indian players among Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal or Ramandeep Singh have been handed a debut tonight. Jitesh Sharma also sits out as Sanju Samson plays as wicketkeeper-batter for India in the first T20I. The visitors have clearly relied on experience and it is not a bad call to start the series with.

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter

"We were looking to bat first. The wicket looks nice, better than the practice wicket and we will try to put runs on the board. The guys in the dressing room have made my job easier, the fearless approach they play with for their respective franchises and have brought the same approach to the team," said India captain Suryakumar Yadav.

"We are going to bowl first. Looks a pretty good wicket. There has been some rain around this week and if there's moisture we want to make use of it. Fantastic opportunity for guys to make their debuts at home and it is a great time for them to enjoy the game. We are quite a competitive team and the discussions have been how can we get positive results," said South Africa captain Aiden Markram.

South Africa captain Aiden Markram has won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the first T20I of the four-match series in Durban.

"It is an overcast evening in Durban. There is a strong breeze going across the ground and the teams should be vary of that. The wicket is very hard and the ball is going to carry through nicely. I would prefer to bowl first and see if there's any help for the pacers. And there's a slight chance of rain later on," says Shaun Pollock on-air.

We are only 5 minutes away from the toss for the first T20I between India and South Africa in Durban.

The seniors in the side like skipper Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, the only member from the Test side here, will be hoping for a strong outing so that India can apply some balm over the wounds from their recent home series defeat against New Zealand.

This could be the last chance for some of the India players to impress before the IPL 2025 mega auction, set to take place on November 24 and 25. Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Jitesh Sharma are the 4 players in this India side who will go under the hammer.

Ramandeep Singh was arguably India's very best player in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, and he could make his debut today in the Indian middle order. Power-hitter, gun fielder and can bowl a bit of off-spin!

Let's not forget, this is a rematch of the T20 World Cup 2024 final, where India won a dramatic encounter and lifted the cup. Can South Africa get revenge and win this series?

Remember, India head coach Gautam Gambhir is not with the Indian T20I squad in South Africa. That's because he's set to fly Down Under with Team India in early preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

VVS Laxman is taking charge of the T20I squad in SA.

The selectors will also closely monitor how a new-look pace bowling unit - Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Vyshak Vijaykumar and Yash Dayal - fare against South Africa. While Arshdeep and Avesh have their moments at the top-level, Vyshak and Dayal will look to carry their success in domestic circuit and in the IPL to international cricket.

This India vs South Africa four-match T20I series also offers an excellent opportunity for wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma, who has slipped a few rungs below in the pecking order, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who impressed against Bangladesh taking five wickets, to keep themselves afloat over the competition.

Pacer Arshdeep Singh and fast bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya will compete to become India's top wicket-taker in the T20I format. The duo will also fight to become first Indian to reach the 100-wicket landmark in T20Is. Both Hardik and Arshdeep have claimed 87 wickets each in 105 and 56 T20I matches, respectively. Yuzvendra Chahal is the highest Indian wicket-taker in the T20I format with 96 wickets.

Tilak Varma will aim to get back to form. The left-hander has somewhat fallen off the radar after making a solid beginning to his T20I career against the West Indies in August 2023. Since then, his 12 outings in the shortest format have produced just one fifty and has not featured in the blue jersey after appearing against Afghanistan earlier this January. So, the Hyderabadi will be keen to impress the selectors with some meaningful efforts against the Africans, and he has also started using his off-spin more regularly.

This is an important series for Abhishek Sharma as well. The dashing left-hander showed his impressive skills while hammering a 47-ball hundred against Zimbabwe at Harare in July, but his other six international innings have produced - 0, 10, 14, 16, 15, 4. Abhishek will be keen to be more consistent to safeguard his place, and he will also be looking to be more penetrative with his left-arm spin.

During India's recent home T20I series against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson received a chance to open consistently against the neighbours, and he made most of it slamming a 47-ball 111. In the post-Rohit Sharma era in T20Is, Samson would like to further buttress his claim for a regular opening slot with a few fruitful outings against the Proteas.

As the Indian cricket team firmly embraces a transition phase, a  clutch of second line stars such as Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will be hoping for a breakaway series in the four T20Is against South Africa, starting with the first contest in Durban Friday. It is imperative for them to shed the tag of sidekicks and establish themselves as the first-choice players in this format.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Dayal, Ravi Bishnoi, Ramandeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma

South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nqabayomzi Peter, Ottneil Baartman, Donovan Ferreira, Mihlali Mpongwana, Patrick Kruger

Hello everyone, welcome to the live blog of India vs South Africa 1st T20I of the four-match series. The contest is set to take place at Kingsmead, Durban. It will kick off at 8:30 PM (IST), while the toss will take place half an hour before the start. Stay connected for the live updates and scores.