IND vs SA 1st T20I: Hardik Pandya’s Explosive Fifty and Dominant Bowling Power India to a Massive 101-Run Victory
Team India kicked off the five-match T20I series with a commanding win over South Africa in Cuttack. Batting first, India posted 175/6 in 20 overs, and in response, the Proteas collapsed to 74 all out in just 12.3 overs — their lowest-ever total in T20Is. With this emphatic win, India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
India’s Early Batting Struggles
Winning the toss, South Africa opted to bowl, and India had a shaky start.
Vice-captain Shubman Gill, returning from injury, was dismissed in the first over for 4 runs, caught by Marco Jansen off Lungi Ngidi.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav also departed early while attempting a big shot, scoring 12 off 11 balls.
Abhishek Sharma & Tilak Verma Fail to Capitalise
Abhishek Sharma, under pressure after quick wickets, attempted to accelerate but fell for 17 off 12 balls.
Tilak Varma played a cautious knock of 26 off 32 balls, unable to shift gears.
Hardik Pandya Rescues India
At No. 5, Axar Patel contributed 23 off 21 balls, adding 26 runs with Hardik Pandya.
Later, Shivam Dube chipped in with 11 off 9, adding another 33-run stand with Hardik.
But the real show came from Hardik Pandya, who smashed an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes.
With this, Hardik also completed 100 sixes in T20 Internationals.
Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten on 10 off 5 balls.
Most Sixes for India in T20 Internationals
- 205 — Rohit Sharma
- 155 — Suryakumar Yadav
- 124 — Virat Kohli
- 100 — Hardik Pandya
- 99 — KL Rahul
South Africa Collapse Under India’s Fiery Bowling Attack
Chasing 176, South Africa crumbled right from the first over.
Arshdeep Singh’s Double Blow
- 1st over: Quinton de Kock caught for 0
- 3rd over: Tristan Stubbs caught for 14
Axar Patel Removes the South African Captain
Axar bowled Aiden Markram for 14 in the final over of the powerplay.
Hardik Strikes With the Ball Too
Hardik dismissed David Miller (1) on the very first ball of his spell, tightening India’s grip further.
Varun Chakravarthy Creates Havoc
He dismissed:
- Donovan Ferreira (5)
- Marco Jansen (12)
Bumrah’s Historic Milestone
Post drinks break, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Dewald Brevis (22), completing 100 T20I wickets — becoming the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in all three formats.
He later dismissed Keshav Maharaj (0) in the same over.
Bowlers Wrap Up the Innings
Axar Patel bowled Nortje, and Shivam Dube dismissed Sipamla to end the South African innings at 74.
India’s Bowling Figures
- Arshdeep Singh: 2 wickets
- Jasprit Bumrah: 2 wickets
- Varun Chakravarthy: 2 wickets
- Axar Patel: 2 wickets
- Hardik Pandya: 1 wicket
- Shivam Dube: 1 wicket
