Overview
- India posted 175/6 in Cuttack led by Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 59 off 28 balls before bowling South Africa out for 74 in 12.3 overs.
- Jasprit Bumrah reached the milestone of 100 T20I wickets during the chase as Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy shared key strikes.
- Aiden Markram chose to bowl after winning the toss citing dew, while the relaid red-soil Barabati pitch offered bounce that rewarded disciplined lengths.
- Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya returned from injury, with Jitesh Sharma taking the gloves as Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana missed out.
- India lead the series 1–0, with the second T20I scheduled in New Chandigarh as both sides continue refining combinations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.