That's a wrap for our live coverage of the 1st T20I between India and South Africa. Cuttack was treated to a phenomenal showing from Team India, led by Hardik Pandya's blitzkrieg with the bat. 

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South Africa will have to improve on their batting to stand a chance in the rest of the series. They were skittled out in just 12.3 overs, and never looked like stitching a long partnership. With the ball, SA did a decent job, but with the bat, they'll have to do a lot more to beat the world champions at their den.

Magnificent performance from Team India. The men in blue rocked up to Cuttack and displayed exactly why they are the No. 1 T20I team in the world. They recovered from a slow start with the bat to reach 175 in 20 overs. And with the ball, wow. Arshdeep set the tone, and one-by-one, every single bowler struck. Two wickets each for Arshdeep, Bumrah, Varun and Axar. South Africa barely had a sniff.

South Africa 74 all out! It's all done and dusted. Shivam Dube takes the final wicket, as Lutho Sipamla is caught in the slips by Abhishek Sharma. This is the lowest-ever T20I total by South Africa.

SA 74 all out (12.3)

IND win by 101 runs.

Clean bowled! A second wicket for Axar Patel, and South Africa lose their ninth. The ball zips through Anrich Nortje's defence and dismantles the stumps. Second wicket for Axar.

SA 72/9 (11.2)

Seems like Jasprit Bumrah might have overstepped in the delivery he dismissed Dewald Brevis. The umpire called it a fair delivery, and Brevis walked off without looking back. However, replays show that Bumrah's foot wasn't exactly behind the popping crease, and even commentator Mpumelelo Mbangwa raises doubt.

Bumrah strikes again! Keshav Maharaj is gone for a duck. Short from Bumrah, Maharaj gloves it, and it's caught by Jitesh behind the stumps. Two wickets in one over for India's pace spearhead.

SA 70/8 (10.5)

GONE! Dewald Brevis looks to go big against Jasprit Bumrah, ends up skying it, and Suryakumar Yadav takes the high catch really well. 100 T20I wickets for Jasprit Bumrah. He becomes the first Indian to take 100 international wickets in all three formats.

SA 68/7 (10.2)

10 overs done, and South Africa are already on the brink of defeat. Dewald Brevis is their only remaining hope. India have been sensational with the ball, taking wickets at regular intervals and pinning back the Proteas' chase.

SA 68/6 (10)

Sixth wicket down! South Africa lose Marco Jansen, Varun Chakravarthy strikes! The ball nips a tad lower than Jansen expected, and knocks off his stumps. Second wicket of the day for the mystery spinner.

SA 68/6 (9.5)

Marco Jansen, wow! Just rocks onto his back foot and helps it for a maximum over deep mid-wicket against Varun Chakravarthy. Second 6 for the 6'8-tall SA all-rounder!

SA 68/5 (9.4)

Top shot! Marco Jansen knows how to hit them a long way, and he does exactly that against Hardik Pandya. Whacks it over long-off for his first 6 of the game. Sensational strike.

SA 61/5 (9)

Another boundary for Dewald Brevis. He has hit a few excellent shots, and is batting at a strike-rate of nearly 200. Sadly for him, the wickets have tumbled at the other end. All hopes on Brevis now, who plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. South Africa will hope for an MS Dhoni-esque finish from Brevis today.

SA 55/5 (8.2)

Another one bites the dust! Varun Chakravarthy brought back into the attack and he makes an impact immediately. Donovan Ferreira is caught behind, sharp catch from Jitesh Sharma. South Africa are five down!

Chakravarthy bowls a wicket-maiden!

SA 50/5 (8)

50 comes up for the Proteas at the end of the 7th over. India had also reached the 50-run mark at the same point. However, South Africa have lost an extra wicket, and also have the pressure of a big target on their heads.

SA 50/4 (7)

GONE, caught behind! Hardik Pandya strikes with his first delivery, dealing South Africa a major blow right after the powerplay. The umpires have a check to see whether there was an edge, and replays confirm there was.

South Africa are 4 down!

SA 45/4 (6.1)

Dewald Brevis ends the powerplay on a positive note for South Africa. He slams a boundary on the final ball of Axar's over. SA still in a lot of bother, they've lost three already and the required run-rate is over 9.

SA 45/3 (6)

What a ball! Axar Patel strikes with his very first delivery. Aiden Markram had no idea, the ball turns back in just a tad and knocks off his leg-stump. The South African captain has to walk back for a run-a-ball 14.

SA 40/3 (5.1)

What a shot! Dewald Brevis clears long-on, handsome 6! Picks up the delivery beautifully, and gives it the treatment. Good over for SA, 12 runs off Varun's first.

SA 40/2 (5)

Great shot! Hint of width offered by Varun Chakravarthy and Brevis makes him pay with a drive through the covers. Interesting call from SKY to not persist with Arshdeep for a third over, despite the pacer looking sharp.

SA 32/2 (4.2)

Stunning shot! Aiden Markram gives himself room, and just effortlessly slams it over mid-wicket for 6 against Jasprit Bumrah. Magnificent strike, flick of the wrist, almost like a helicopter shot!

SA 28/2 (4)

Edged, 4! Lucky! Markram swings hard, ends up taking an edge, but the ball flies past an outstretched first slip aand goes for 4 through third-man. Second stroke of luck for Markram.

SA 22/2 (3.1)

GONE! DRS to India's rescue. Tristan Stubbs appeared to have nicked it, and India were already celebrating the caught-behind but the umpire gave it not out. Abhishek Sharma and Jitesh Sharma seemingly convinced Suryakumar Yadav to take the DRS. UltraEdge shows a clear spike, and Stubbs has to go. Second wicket for Arshdeep!

SA 16/2 (2.3)

Another lovely stroke! Scrambled seam from Arshdeep, a tad to full, Stubbs plays it on the up and caresses it for 4 through mid-off. Second boundary for the right-hander.

SA 16/1 (2.2)

Oh dear! Aiden Markram played a lofted shot towards third-man, Shivam Dube jumped well and caught it, but lost balance at the last moment and stepped over the ropes. He managed to release the ball and save 6 runs. Jasprit Bumrah applauds Dube's effort, but Markram has survived a big scare here.

SA 10/1 (2)

Lovely shot! Tristan Stubbs, in at No. 3, brings out a classy cover drive against Arshdeep. The left-arm pacer switches his line and length next ball and tests Stubbs with a shorter one. 

SA 6/1 (1)

What a start! Arshdeep Singh strikes! Delivery angling away from left-hander Quinton de Kock, he end up edging it and it's taken at second slip by Abhishek Sharma. Perfect start for India.

SA 0/1 (0.2)

South Africa begin their run chase of 176. Quinton de Kock and captain Aiden Markram are out to open the batting for the Proteas. India will have to bowl very well to defend this. Arshdeep Singh taking the new ball.

Hardik Pandya walked in and took the game by the scruff of its neck almost from ball 1. He smashed two maximums off Keshav Maharaj in the 13th over, and did not look back. A monstrous knock from one of the most vital members of the Indian juggernaut. Worth his weight in gold.

According to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, the men in blue are around 15 runs short, despite posting 175. Their start wasn't great, losing many wickets up front, and they reached only 71/3 after 10 overs. Thanks to Hardik's stunning knock, India made 104 in the final 10.

India end on 175. 12 off the final over. What a swashbuckling innings from Hardik Pandya - 6 boundaries, 4 sixes, powering India to a more-than-decent total on a tricky pitch in Cuttack.

IND 175/6 (20)

SA Target: 176

50 in style! Hardik Pandya upper cuts a short delivery from Nortje, and it goes all the way for a maximum over third-man. He reaches his half-century in just 25 balls. What a terrific knock this has been!

IND 169/6 (19.2)

Hardik looks to go big against a delivery wide outside off-stump, ends up skying it. Fortunately for him, it lands safely and between two fielders. Brevis put in the dive, but couldn't gather it. 

Then, Jitesh deposits it into the crowd for 6! WOW! Over deep square-leg, all the way. 18 off the over!

IND 163/6 (19)

Maximum! Hardik moves into the 40s. He clears long-off with ease and slams Sipamla for 6. Next ball is shorter and is slapped by Hardik for 4. He moves on to 47 off just 21!

IND 156/6 (18.3)

Hardik Pandya gets 4 more. Loose delivery from Ferreira, Pandya swings hard and it takes an edge and goes through fine-leg for a boundary. Next ball, Pandya loads up a big hit and slams it hard, but Ferreira does very well to save it. Certain boundary stopped.

IND 145/6 (18)

Dube misses, Ferreira hits! Markram takes a gamble by giving the 18th over to part-timer Donovan Ferreira, but he justifies his captain's decision immediately. Dube looks to smash it over mid-wicket on the back foot, but misses the ball and sees his stumps get knocked over.

IND 137/6 (17.1)

Hardik Pandya keeps the momentum going! Short but slower from Jansen, but jabbed away for a boundary through mid-wicket by Hardik. He is into the 30s now, and he's galloping along at a strike-rate of over 200.

IND 135/5 (16.2)

Shivam Dube slams his first boundary! Short and wide from Ngidi, and slapped through the covers by Dube for 4. The outfield helps, and the ball races away to the fence. Couple of balls later, Dube helps it through fine-leg for 4 more.

Ngidi ends with 3/31 in 4 overs. 

IND 131/5 (16)

Hammered, again! This time slammed past mid-off for 4. Hardik Pandya is on some charge at the moment, and if he continues, he can single-handedly change this game. 17 off Anrich Nortje's over!

IND 121/5 (15)

Hammered! Width offered by Nortje and cut away hard by Pandya for 4 through the gully region. This is a phenomenal start by the all-rounder, who is making his comeback to international cricket for the first time since the Asia Cup. He is on 20 off 9!

Two balls later, 5 wides! Too short, too wide from Nortje and it goes over Hardik and a diving Quinton de Kock.

IND 115/5 (14.4)

OUT! Lutho Sipamla gets the last laugh! Wide outside off-stump, Axar looks for the late cut but ends up sending it straight to Donovan Ferreira at backward point. He departs for 23 off 21 balls. Second wicket for Sipamla.

IND 104/5 (14)

Axar brings up the 100-run mark in style! Slower dellivery from Lutho Sipamla, but Axar reads it and slams it over the bowler's head for a straight 6. Top shot from the left-hander. 

IND 104/4 (13.5)

Massive hits! Hardik Pandya with two powerful slogs against Keshav Maharaj, and he gets rewarded with two maximums! First one is a slog sweep over mid-wicket, the second smashed over long-on. The stadium is chanting 'Hardik, Hardik'!

IND 96/4 (13)

India lose their fourth wicket! Tilak Varma departs, Marco Jansen grabs another catch. Very similar to Abhishek's dismissal, same region, same fielder. India in big trouble at the moment.

IND 78/4 (11.4)

Halfway stage of the Indian innings. The red-soil pitch at Cuttack has proven to be a challenging one for Team India, and they're going at just about 7 runs per over at the moment. Tilak Varma has faced 27 balls, scored 23, and will be hoping to accelerate now.

IND 71/3 (10)

Maximum! Tilak Varma smashes it out of the stadium! He sits back into his crease and uses the pace of Anrich Nortje's delivery to send it over deep square-leg for 6. Nortje has been bowling at over 145 kmph, and Tilak finally makes good use.

IND 69/3 (9.3)

50 up for India. It has not been the ideal start for India. South Africa's pacers have been excellent, and India's top three have already been sent back to the dugout. The run-rate isn't impressive either, it's less than 7!

IND 50/1 (7)

GONE! Massive, massive wicket for South Africa. It's the dangerous Abhishek Sharma who departs. He jabs it towards fine-leg, but the 6'8"-tall Marco Jansen takes a blinder! Abhishek is in disbelief. Wicket for Lutho Sipamla.

IND 48/3 (6.3)

Abhishek dealing in boundaries! Really good application from the No. 1 T20I batter in the world. First a graceful punch through the covers for 4. Next ball, he gently guides it over mid-wicket for 4 more!

IND 48/2 (6.2)

End of the powerplay! Tilak Varma concludes it with a boundary through fine-leg. Two crucial wickets lost by India in this phase, and now the responsibility lies on Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma to steady the ship.

IND 40/2 (6)

First boundary for Tilak! Just a nudge off the wrists, and the ball races away through mid-wicket. Tilak Varma completes 1,000 T20I runs with that stroke. Two centuries, four half-centuries and an average of nearly 50!

IND 36/2 (5.3)

Lutho Sipamla into the attack, and the first ball goes for 4 byes! Abhishek gives himself room, looks to hit it, but misses. Quinton de Kock puts in the dive but misses it too, and the ball runs away for 4 behind the stumps.

It's a really decent over after that from Sipamla. He concedes just 2 runs in the rest of his over.

IND 32/2  (5)

Abhishek Sharma gets a nasty blow on the hip from a Marco Jansen delivery, and falls down in pain. He's good to go soon after, and gives a stunning response. Short from Jansen and pulled away for 6 by Abhishek!

IND 25/2 (3.4)

GONE! Suryakumar Yadav looks for the big shot yet again, but this time around Ngidi switches his line and tempts SKY to go for it from off-stump. He ends up chipping up into the air, and a simple catch taken at mid-on by SA captain Aiden Markram. Second wicket for Ngidi.

India 2 down, and in a bit of bother!

IND 17/2 (2.4)

First boundary for SKY! A bit of a loose one from Ngidi, on Suryakumar's pads, and flicked away for 4 through mid-wicket by the Indian captain. Quick outfield here.

Next ball, SIX! Classic SKY. The pick-up shot from Suryakumar Yadav, his signature stroke. 

IND 17/1 (2.3)

Top over from Marco Jansen at the other end. Does not allow Suryakumar Yadav to get a move-on, and limits him to just 1 run the entire over. Suryakumar not quite finding the timing yet: he's on 2 off 7.

IND 7/1 (2)

There has been a bit of merry-go-round regarding India's No. 3 spot in T20I cricket off late, but captain Suryakumar Yadav has come out to bat at 3 after Gill's departure. Big task ahead for SKY, who will hope to stitch a good partnership with Abhishek now.

IND 6/1 (1)

Boundary, and then gone! Shubman Gill starts off with a bang, slams a boundary through third-man. But next ball, he steps out and looks to slog it straight, but gets caught by the fielder at mid-off. Gill departs in the very first over!

IND 5/1 (0.3)

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are out to open the batting for India. South Africa have a potent pace attack, featuring Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and the youngster Lutho Sipamla.

All eyes on Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill then. Gill thrown into the spotlight right after coming back from injury, and he'll have to face the new ball in Cuttack. Abhishek - the No. 1 T20I batter in the world - is in terrific form.

South Africa XI vs India: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.

India XI vs South Africa: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Suryakumar Yadav confirms that left-arm chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav and wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson are not in the playing XI! Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana also miss out.

South Africa have won the toss and opted to bowl! Suryakumar Yadav chuckles as he loses the toss. Aiden Markram decides to put India in to bat. 

We are just about 15 minutes away from toss time at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. This is the first time in over 3 years that a T20I match is being held here. Incidentally, the last T20I here was also between India and South Africa, and the visitors won on that occasion!

For the first time ever, a T20I will be played on a red-soil pitch at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, making it an unpredictable challenge for not just South Africa, but also hosts India. It will be interesting to see what the toss-winning captain chooses to do today.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has not been in the best of form in T20Is for some time now. He managed a few starts in the recent series against Australia, as well as in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but a truly big score has eluded him off late. He will be desperate to rediscover that form as India start gearing up for the T20 World Cup 2026.

South Africa were outclassed 3-1 at home by India in a T20I series held in 2024, and the Proteas will no doubt be keen on exacting revenge in this five-match series. Not to forget, India also beat SA in the T20 World Cup 2024 final!

Jasprit Bumrah is 1 wicket away from reaching 100 T20I wickets. If he does so today, he will become the first Indian bowler in cricket history to take 100 international wickets in all three formats (Tests, ODIs, T20Is).

India's Test and ODI captain and T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is all set to make his return to cricket action today. After extensive recovery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Gill is likely to play today. The attention will certainly be on him, if he does feature.

This is the final leg of South Africa's tour of India. SA cleanswept the Tests 2-0. India bounced back and took the ODIs 2-1. Now time for a marathon five-match T20I series to decide the honours.

A very warm welcome to one and all to NDTV Sports, for the live coverage of the 1st T20I between India and South Africa. We're in Cuttack, to begin the five-match series. Stay tuned for the all the live updates from the match!