Overview
- India posted 175/6 in Cuttack before bowling South Africa out for 74, their lowest T20I total, to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
- Returning from injury, Hardik Pandya hit 59 not out off 28 balls and took 1/16 to earn Player of the Match, after being held back from powerplay overs as part of his reintegration.
- Jasprit Bumrah reached 100 T20I wickets and became the first Indian bowler with 100 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
- Arshdeep Singh struck twice in the powerplay to finish 2/14 and equalled Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s India record of 47 T20I wickets in overs 1–6.
- Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each as captain Suryakumar Yadav highlighted role clarity and batting depth, with the series shifting to New Chandigarh on December 11.