Hardik Pandya’s all-round show, followed by a strong effort from India’s bowlers, helped the Suryakumar Yadav-led side beat South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20I at the Barabati Stadium. With this win, India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series and began their T20 World Cup 2026 preparations on a high.
South Africa failed to chase down 176 runs
Defending 176, India started perfectly. Arshdeep Singh removed Quinton de Kock for a duck on the second ball of the innings and struck again in the third over to send back Tristan Stubbs. Markram and Dewald Brevis tried to steady the chase, but Axar Patel broke their stand inside the power play by dismissing the South African captain for 14.
Hardik Pandya, returning to bowl after a long break, struck with his first delivery by removing David Miller. South Africa kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and although Marco Jansen tried to fight back with a couple of sixes, Varun Chakaravarthy bowled him soon after.
Bumrah picked 100th T20I wicket
Jasprit Bumrah reached his 100th T20I wicket by dismissing Brevis in the 11th over and then picked up Keshav Maharaj in the same over. Axar Patel removed Anrich Nortje in the 12th, and Shivam Dube wrapped up the innings when Abhishek Sharma took a clean catch to dismiss Lutho Sipamla. South Africa were bowled out for just 74 which is their lowest-ever total in T20Is.
India's batting vs South Africa
Earlier, in India’s innings, Shubman Gill’s much-awaited return ended quickly as Lungi Ngidi removed him in the first over. Ngidi struck again to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav, who had briefly counterattacked with a six and a four, including his ‘supla’ shot. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma took India to 40/2 after six overs, but Abhishek’s dismissal stalled the scoring. Varma and Axar Patel found it hard to score freely, and Varma eventually fell for 26 off 32.
Axar offered support through the middle, but the innings was held together by Hardik Pandya’s outstanding knock. He hammered six fours and four sixes to lift India’s total, while Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma added handy runs at the end.
The pitch made strokeplay difficult, with uneven bounce and little pace. India’s top order struggled, and even Varma and Axar couldn’t fully settle. South Africa kept applying pressure through Ngidi’s three wickets and Jansen’s disciplined bowling.
In the middle of all this, Pandya looked in complete control. He shifted gears smoothly, took on the bowlers, and changed the momentum of the innings. His innings stood out on a tough surface and ensured India finished with a competitive total.
With India leading the series 1-0, both teams will now head to New Chandigarh for the second T20I at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Brief Scores
India 175/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 59*, Tilak Varma 26; Lungi Ngidi 3-31, Lutho Sipamla 2-38) beat South Africa (Dewald Brevis 22, Tristan Stubbs 14; Axar Patel 2-7, Arshdeep Singh 2-14) by 101 runs.