IND vs SA 1st T20I Live: India Off to Nervy Start as Gill, Suryakumar Fall Early in Cuttack
India vs South Africa 1st T20I: India suffer early blows as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav fall cheaply. Follow live score, match updates, and highlights from Cuttack.
Shubman Gill walks back after falling for four in the first over as South Africa make early inroads in the 1st T20I in Cuttack.
India had a jittery start in the T20I, the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack beginning with two early dismissals of Shubman Gill and skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Gill returned to the side after having suffered from a knee injury, and began quite well with an orthodox shot for a boundary on only the second ball of the innings but he scratched his way to a paltry 4 runs before being out in the second over to a full toss from Lungi Ngidi. Suryakumar, aiming to get on with something, was Timed badly on the pads for mid wicket, striking straight in about the height of the stumps for what seemed to have been a fantastic N. Gidi ball for his second of the night.
The five-match T20I series will be India's last home challenge this season after starting with a disappointing 0-2 defeat in the Tests and did well enough to clinch a happy-sounding 2-1 win in the just concluded ODI series. The visitors will welcome back Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill this series, both given a green flap for T20s.
India has been extremely successful in the T20 format over the past three years, with 26 victories since the 2022 World Cup. They haven't lost a T20I series since 2023, a record they want to uphold notwithstanding this initial setback in the opening fixture.
Match Situation (Live)
- India: 31/2 in 4.5 overs
- Batting: Abhishek Sharma 9(9), Tilak Varma 2(7)
- Bowling: Marco Jansen 0/9 (2), Lutho Sipamla 0/1 (0.5)
- Toss: South Africa elected to field
- Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
Live Updates draw ahead to a rather spirited attack by the South African bowlers. The pitch seemed to be a little tricky for the batsmen. When Marco Jansen hit Abhishek Sharma for a glorious six in return, Ngidi's double-wicket haul compounded India's early woes.
The pitch report had shown that a relaid red-soil track had grassy cover expected to assist batsmen more as the match progressed. Dew was expected to play a significant part in the second innings, and hence Markram chose to bowl after winning the toss.
Both captains discussed how they were able to adapt to the changing conditions, while Suryakumar spoke about playing fearlessly and preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
