India vs South Africa HIGHLIGHTS, 1st T20I: India thrash South Africa by 101 runs

India vs South Africa HIGHLIGHTS 1st T20I: India started off the five-match T20I series on a winning note after they thrashed South Africa by 101 runs in the first match in Cuttack. Chasing 176 runs, the South African team bundled out for a paltry score of just 74 runs in the 13th over against a formidable Indian side.

An all-round performance by the Indian team helped them script history as South Africa were bundled out for their lowest-ever score in the shortest format. While Hardik Pandya shined with a flamboyant half-century to push India's score beyond 150 batting first, bowlers were impressive as they scalped wickets at regular intervals.

Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian bowler to take more than 100 wickets across all the three formats as he was brilliant in his 2/17 spell. Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh all scalped two wickets apiece to push the Proteas against the wall.

The second match of the series will take place on Thursday at Mullanpur.

India have thrashed South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20I in Cuttack to take a 1-0 series lead. Chasing 176 runs, South Africa bundled out for just 74 in 12.3 overs as Indian bowlers shined.

Jasprit Bumrah has become the first Indian bowler and fifth in the world to claim 100 wickets across all the three formats. He has claimed two wickets in the same over to rattle the South Africans who are 8 wickets down now. India sniff a big win here.

SA 71/8 after 11 overs.

South Africa have lost half of their side as India gain complete control in the first T20I at Cuttack. Varun Chakravarthy and Hardik Pandya have joined the show with one wicket apiece as the top 5 batters of the Proteas are back into the pavilion.

South Africa have lost their third wicket in the sixth over as India continue to be on top in this game. It is the big wicket of Aiden Markram for 14 off 14 as spinner Axar Patel cleans up the dangerous player. David Miller comes onto the crease.

SA 45/3 after 6 overs

Arshdeep Singh strikes again in his second over to give SA another blow quickly. The fast bowler gets rid of Tristan Stubbs for 14. The SA batter was looking dangerous but his knock was cut short by India. Dewald Brevis joins Aiden Markram on the crease.

SA 18/2 after 3 overs.

Arshdeep Singh has provided India with an early breakthrough. The fast bowler sent back Quinton de Kock for a duck on just the second ball of the match starting off the proceedings on a fiery note for India.

Great comeback by India after a sluggish start. Hardik Pandya is the reason why India have posted a competitive score. He remains unbeaten on 59 off 28 balls, powering India to a formidable total of 175/6. India scored 54 runs in the last five overs, mainly due to Hardik's brutal knock in the comeback match. His explosive innings has given India a good chance of winning the match.

Stay tuned, we will be back with South Africa's innings.

India lose the wicket at the wrong time. Just when the momentum was building up, India lose Shivam Dube. Superb bowling by Donavan Ferreira. He fires it in from round the wicket. Dube goes for a big one but misses completely as the ball crashes into the stumps.

He is gone for 11 off 9 deliveries. Pandya holds the key for India.

India 145/6 (18 overs)

Axar goes after hitting Sipamla for a glorious straight six. The young pacer gets his revenge on the very next ball. Short, bouncy, outside off and there for the taking, but Axar fails to get on top of the bounce and hits it straight to point. Another wicket falls at a crucial juncture.

Shivam Dube is the new batter. India 104/5 (14 overs)

India fighting fire with fire. Dube and Pandya are giving it back to the Proteas with some lusty blows. First, Pandya takes 17 runs off Nortje's over, then Dube joins the party and smashes Ngidi for two boundaries in the next over. India go into the final five overs with some momentum.

He hits two maximums off Maharaj over long-on to signal his intentions. Just the kind of impetus India needed. But he needs to carry on. Still 7 overs left to play.

16 runs off the 13th over. India 96 for 4 (13 overs)

Just when the partnership was building, India lose another wicket. Tilak Varma perishes while trying to hit a maximum over fine leg. Good catch by Jansen at the boundary line. Ngidi gets his second wicket.

Huge roar as Hardik Pandya walks out to bat.

Tilak Varma and Axar Patel have steadied the ship with a partnership of 29 off 28 balls. India need big last nine overs to post a decent total.

WHAT A CATCH BY JANSEN! Abhishek Sharma is dismissed after scoring back-to-back boundaries. He tries to go for the third boundary and almost succeeds, but Jansen pulls off a blinder at fine leg. Lutho Sipamla gets the prized wicket.

 Axar Patel is the new batter.

Tilak Varma is up and running. The first one is flicked through midwicket, and the second is glanced through fine leg. Expensive over by Jansen. End of power play.

India 40/2 (6 overs) 

Abhishek Sharma finally gets one in the middle. Short ball from Jansen. Abhishek is quick to pounce on it. He reads the length quickly and dispatches it deep into the stands over mid-wicket.

India 26/2 (4 overs) Lutho Sipamla replaces Lungi Ngidi.

India lose another, and it's a big one. Surya's lean patch as skipper continues. He gets greedy and goes after Ngidi after hitting him for a four and a six, but he mistimes the ball completely. Simple catch for Markram at mid-on. Dream start for Ngidi. Two big wickets for the SA pacer in the first two overs.

Tilak Varma is the new batter.

Gill is gone in the first over. Not the start India would have wanted. Gill, returning from injury, tries to be aggressive and comes down the track to play a lofted drive over mid-off. But the ball stops after pitching, and all Gill can do is chip it straight to Jansen.

India 6/1 (1 over) Skipper Suryakumar Yadav is the new batter.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

India lose yet another coin toss. South Africa have opted to bowl first at the Barabati Stadium. Sanju Samson is not in the playing XI, so are Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar.  Meanwhile, Anrich Nortje, who last played a T20I match in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India, returns for the Proteas.

Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are at the crease. South Africans have taken the fielding positions. Sharma to take the strike, Ngidi to open the attack,

India have been on a remarkable run in T20Is since the 2024 T20I World Cup win. The Men in Blue have won 26 games since the 2024 T20I WC triumph while losing only four. They are yet to lose a series in the T20 format in the last three years, with their previous series loss coming in 2023 against the West Indies

Hello and welcome!

The stage is set for a blockbuster series between India and South Africa to entertain the crowd with some swashbuckling cricket in the first of the five T20Is. The series opener is being played at the Barabati Stadium, which has hosted only three T20Is.

Of the three, two have been between these two arch-rivals and South Africa, remarkably, have a 100 per cent record against the Men in Blue at this venue. 

Can India stop South Africa from registering a hat-trick of wins?

Stay tuned to find out!