Akshay Thakur - Tuesday, Dec 09, 2025South Africa vs India 1st T20I Pitch Report: Like the T20 World Cup 2024 final, India and South Africa will play the first T20I of the series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. This is also the last leg of the all-format tour.
Speaking of India, the team led by Suryakumar Yadav has been in tremendous form recently, winning the Asia Cup 2025 and then a series win against a strong Australian team. The countdown to the 2026 T20 World Cup has also begun, as the team will look to defend its title in the upcoming major event. They will be confident of a win in Cuttack.
South Africa have had a disastrous campaign in the shortest format of the game. This will be their first T20I assignment after losing 1-2 to Pakistan. Before the Pakistan tour, the Proteas also lost a match to Namibia, an associate nation. Prior to that, they had drawn against England, so they will now need to build on the winning momentum.
SA vs IND 1st T20 Match Pitch Report: The Barabati Stadium pitch in Cuttack for the IND vs SA 1st T20I features a red clay surface for the first time, offering pace, bounce, and high-scoring potential similar to the Wankhede Stadium.
The red clay provides good carry and helps batsmen play inside the line, while the light grass and moisture aid strokeplay initially. Pacers benefit from the initial bounce, while spinners can find grip later as the surface slows down, although dew in the second innings may make chasing easier.
The captain who wins the toss will likely bowl first, as the short boundaries, dew, and evening breeze favor pacers initially. Historically, the average first-innings score has been 140, but expect 180-200+ on this vibrant track.
| Total matches: | 3 |
| Batting first won: | 1 |
| Bowling first won: | 2 |
| 1st inn avg score: | 140 |
| 2nd inn avg score: | 110 |
| Highest Total: | 180/3 |
| Lowest Total: | 87/10 |
| Highest Chased: | 149/6 |
| Lowest Defended: | 180/3 |
India (IND) Playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa (SA) Playing 11: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
