Hardik Pandya‘s outstanding all-round display, coupled with the collective efforts of the bowlers, secured India a 101-run win in the first T20I against South Africa at the Barabati Stadium.

This victory gave the hosts a 1-0 advantage in the five-match series, marking a strong start to their T20 World Cup 2026 preparations.

While defending a target of 176 runs, the Men in Blue experienced a fantastic beginning as Arshdeep Singh dismissed Quinton de Kock for a duck with just the second ball of the innings. Tristan Stubbs aimed to make an impact quickly upon entering the field, but his time was cut short by the Indian pacer, who captured his second wicket in the third over.

Markram and Dewald Brevis rapidly gained momentum, not allowing the loss of two early wickets to disrupt their progress, but a change in bowling brought Axar Patel into the attack during the powerplay, resulting in the Protea captain’s dismissal for a run-a-ball 14.

Returning to bowl for India after a considerable break, Hardik Pandya struck on his very first delivery, removing the dangerous David Miller and earning his team another crucial breakthrough.

The South African batting line-up fell apart as the Indian bowlers consistently claimed wickets at steady intervals. Although Marco Jansen briefly reignited hopes by hitting a few sixes, Varun Chakaravarthy ended his innings by bowling him out, plunging the visitors into deeper trouble.

Bumrah came within one wicket of reaching 100 T20I wickets and accomplished the milestone by getting Dewald Brevis out in the 11th over, quickly followed by dismissing Keshav Maharaj in the same over. The Proteas faced their ninth wicket loss shortly after, in the 12th over, when Anrich Nortje returned to the pavilion, courtesy of Axar.

Shivam Dube sealed the innings with a catch by Abhishek Sharma that led to Lutho Sipamla’s dismissal. Consequently, South Africa was bowled out for their lowest-ever score in a T20I, finishing with a mere 74 runs.

In terms of the first innings, Shubman Gill’s long-awaited return was brief, as Lungi Ngidi dismissed him in the opening over before striking again to remove Suryakumar Yadav, unsettling India early on. Captain Suryakumar mounted a brief counterattack with a six and a four, including his trademark ‘supla’ shot, before falling to a poorly timed shot.

Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma stabilized the innings, leading India to 40/2 at the end of the powerplay, but the opener’s dismissal by Lutho Sipamla stalled the progress. The middle overs dragged on as Varma and Axar Patel encountered difficulties in achieving fluency before the former was dismissed after scoring 26 off 32 balls.

Axar provided support, but the innings significantly relied on Pandya’s impactful performance. The all-rounder hit six boundaries and four sixes, boosting India’s total with an assertive conclusion. Contributions from Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma added crucial runs in the closing phases.

On a pitch that turned even routine strokes into challenging efforts, Pandya delivered an innings of exceptional quality.

With the surface gripping and the ball not coming onto the bat, India’s top order found it hard to gain fluency; both Tilak Varma and Axar Patel showed potential but ultimately fell short.

South Africa tightened their grip through Lungi Ngidi’s three-wicket haul and Marco Jansen’s economical bowling, dismissing batters just as partnerships seemed to settle.

In the midst of the battle, Pandya seemed almost unaffected by the challenging conditions. He accelerated play with precision and assurance, taking control and returning the contest to a state of equilibrium. His innings has kept India firmly in contention despite the obstacles posed by the pitch and the South African bowlers.

With India now leading the series, the two teams will clash again for the second T20I on Thursday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.

 

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 74/10 (Dewald Brevis 22, Tristan Stubbs 14; Axar Patel 2-7, Arshdeep Singh 2-14) by 101 runs.