🏏South Africa tour of India 2025: India vs SA - 1st T20I🏏

🏏South Africa tour of India 2025: India vs SA - 1st T20I at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on 09/12/2025 at 7:00 PM🏏

Strong India face shaky South Africa in key build-up to T20 World Cup

India have a largely settled side, while this series may give us our first glimpse of the kind of XI SA hope to play in the 2026 tournament

Since contesting a nail-biting T20 World Cup final in 2024, India and South Africa have gone in different directions in T20Is. India have arguably become an even better team since lifting that trophy, achieving a 26-4 record (24 outright wins and two Super Over wins) with a brand of play perfectly suited to the conditions they will defend their title in February-March 2026. South Africa, meanwhile, have won nine and lost 16 of their T20Is since that day in Barbados.

India have a largely settled side in the lead-up to the 2026 tournament, with most of their players enjoying a sense of continuity and role clarity. The same can't be said for South Africa. Over recent months, they've lost perhaps their most feared T20I player, Heinrich Klaasen, to retirement, and have been without other key players for injury and workload-management reasons. In that time, they've lost series to Australia and Pakistan as well as a one-off match to Namibia, and became, against England at Old Trafford, the first team to concede a 300-plus total in a Full-Member-vs-Full-Member T20I.

South Africa, in short, have a lot of work to do between now and February 9, when they begin their World Cup campaign against Canada in Ahmedabad. That work will begin with one of the toughest assignments they could face in this format, against a full-strength India in India. But they don't have too much to lose in this series, and plenty of experience and knowledge to gain from playing five matches in conditions similar to what they'll face at that tournament.

When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 7 PM local time

Where: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

What to expect: With a new red-soil base, the Barabati surface bears resemblance to the Wankhede track - a typical T20 wicket, full of runs. Having lost both of their previous games against South Africa at this venue, India will be keen to break the trend.

Team News

India

Players are all fit with slight uncertainty over Hardik Pandya, who experienced discomfort while bowling at the nets on Sunday evening. With Shubman Gill opening with Abhishek Sharma, there is unlikely to be a place in the XI for Sanju Samson. Shivam Dube will be the third pacer which means Arshdeep Singh may sit out.

Probable XI: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.

South Africa

Aiden Markram is back as South Africa captain for the T20Is after being rested for the limited-overs series against Pakistan a few weeks back. He's set to open with Quinton de Kock while it remains to be seen if Tony de Zorzi, who picked up an injury in the second ODI, has made sufficient recovery. Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs will form the middle order core along with David Miller, who is set to return after a hamstring injury forced him to miss the Pakistan series. Among the bowlers, Anrich Nortje is set to make his first international appearance since the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India. Nortje might prove useful early on against Shubman Gill, having dismissed the Indian opener 4 times in 7 innings in T20 cricket, while he has also accounted for India captain Suryakumar Yadav twice in six innings.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

Cuttack Weather Report

There are increasing speculation about the weather before the first T20I as India prepares for the T20 World Cup. The evening is predicted to be gloomy throughout the game, while the daytime forecast is clear and sunny.

There is a 10% chance of rain in the evening, which might lead to some potential disruptions. The captain who wins the toss might want to bowl first because cloudy weather are predicted and dew is anticipated to settle in during the second half.

Pitch Report

Barabati Stadium's pitch is renowned for aiding batting and has a new red-soil base. Teams batting second are expected to benefit from the presence of dew, and spinners are frequently used in the middle overs. Overall, there will be plenty of runs available on this fantastic batting surface.

Meanwhile, South Africa will be really eager to recover from a ODI series loss. The visitors will use an aggressive strategy to challenge India, led by their own explosive core of T20 specialists. The Proteas have a solid record at the venue as well, having won both of their most recent games in Cuttack against India. The Men in Blue, on the other hand, will be keen to correct the record and turn things around on the field.

IND vs SA Head to Head Record in T20Is

Matches Played 31

IND Won 18

SA Won 12

Tied / No Results 1

First-ever fixture December 1, 2006

Most-recent fixture November 15, 2024

IND vs SA Probable Top Performers

Probable Best Batter — Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma has become among the most feared names among T20 batters in the last twelve months or so. He was the Player of the Series during the Asia Cup, and followed the success into the Australia series as well. While he has been away from international action, the Punjab batter also featured in the domestic set-up, playing six games during the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, also scoring a century and two fifties. His marauding blade is expected to fire tonight as well.

Probable Best Bowler — Varun Chakravarthy

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is currently in red-hot form in the shortest format. He was also named the designated captain of Tamil Nadu for the SMAT tournament, but has now joined the Men in Blue for national duties. With his ability to turn the ball both ways, the spinner can trap the batters at will, while also controlling the flow of runs from one end. On a pitch like Cuttack, the 34-year-old will enjoy deliveries his four-over spell.

This hardik he is such a beast...but most of the time in Discomfort or injuredI miss old Pandya

Win probability

India 60%

South Africa 40%

Let's see what really happens.