Overview
- India recall Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah for the opener under Suryakumar Yadav, while Aiden Markram’s side regains Anrich Nortje and David Miller.
- Jasprit Bumrah is one wicket from 100 in T20Is, which would also make him the first Indian with 100 wickets in each international format.
- Barabati’s newly relaid red‑soil pitch is expected to be batting-friendly with extra bounce, with evening dew likely and a small chance of rain influencing a bowl-first toss call; South Africa have won both previous T20Is at this venue.
- Key calls for India across the series include choosing between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as wicketkeeper and locking the No.4–7 batting core around Tilak Varma and the all-round options.
- The first T20I starts at 7:00 PM IST in Cuttack, with TV coverage on Star Sports and streaming on JioHotstar.