South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bowl against India in the first T20I of the five-match series, which is taking place at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya, who were on the road to recovery, have been included in the playing XI against the Proteas. Apart from the duo, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the three-match ODI series against the same opponent to manage workload also included in the playing XI. Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson and Harshit Rana missed out from India's playing XI.
Captains at the toss
South Africa captain Aiden Markram: We're going to bowl first. Expecting conditions to be good here in India. Quite a bit of dew around, might be a constant throughout the game but might get a bit worse later. It's the way things work, lot of the games end up playing in the mind, need to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Fantastic build-up to the World Cup. From a conditions point of view, it's going to be great. Can't simulate this in South Africa, looking to make the most of it.
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav: That’s okay. I mean, we were a little confused looking at the wicket. Yesterday it was looking a little more greener, but today we were a little confused. But it’s okay, we’re happy to bat first. It gives a good challenge to put runs on the board and come out here and defend. I mean, see, it (dew factor) becomes a little challenging for the bowlers - you can’t run away from the fact. But going from here on, I think that’s going to remain for a really long time. It has been there for a very long time. So if we keep focusing on that, I think the main job will be in trouble in doing that. But yeah, let’s not think about it and have it as a challenge. We had a good series in Australia. Now we play five T20s against South Africa and then we play against New Zealand, so 15 good T20s. I think it’s good preparation. Same thing what we’ve been doing in the last few series: be fearless, enjoy the game, and be at it for the next three hours. It (selection) is a very good headache to have. But I’ll tell you the guys who are missing out: Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana.
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Barabati Stadium pitch report
The Barabati Stadium pitch has been relaid with a red-soil base, giving it characteristics similar to the Wankhede surface, plenty of bounce, good carry and usually lots of runs in T20Is. It should be a batting-friendly wicket. However, India have lost both of their previous T20Is against South Africa at this ground, so they’ll be eager to change that record this time.
India vs South Africa T20I head-to-head
India and South Africa have played 31 T20Is against each other, where the Men in Blue hold the edge, winning 18 matches. South Africa came victorious 12 times. One clash between India and South Africa ended without a result.
Total Matches: 31
India: 18
South Africa: 12
No Result: 1
India vs South Africa playing XIs
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh