Red-soil pitch brings fresh intrigue to Barabati opener

There's a first at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. In the chequered history of the venue, it will roll out a red-soil wicket for the first time ever. A touch of red, a hint of green (grass), and a dash of bounce - natural hallmarks of such surfaces - and it should make the pitch ideal for batters, especially in a Twenty20 game. Add a bit of moisture to the mix, and the alchemy is complete: the perfect recipe for a high-scoring contest.

That, of course, is only the theoretical reading, and with it being a new pitch, an element of uncertainty will naturally carry forward with the prognosis. The first Twenty20 International between India and South Africa on Tuesday will, therefore, traverse into largely uncharted territory for this region. The captain winning the toss may still prefer to bowl first, but that choice will come with its own inherent risk.

"Red soil," exclaimed Suryakumar Yadav "And for the first time? I haven't seen it (the pitch) yet - didn't get a chance to go down. I think it should be good. Black soil would have been better, but I feel the red soil will also play well. A red-soil wicket can be quick too. Let's see. If it's fast, that's good," the India skipper analysed.

The Indian team, in its pursuit of the right mix, combinations and balance ahead of the February-March 2026 World Cup, should nonetheless relish these conditions. Similar surfaces are expected during the tournament, and India has the right horses for such courses, as they say. With exactly 10 T20Is left - five in the ongoing series against South Africa and five more against New Zealand in January - the team is entering the final stretch of preparation for next year's blue-riband global cricket event.

Surya, however, brushed aside the talk that this series is part of the team's preparation for the World Cup. "Our 2026 T20 World Cup preparation began right after we won the T20 World Cup in 2024. Because for any big tournament, you cannot think that the tournament is here and you have to start preparing. It's like when we appear for exams in school, it is not like we try to study everything in the last four days. We study for a year or two. Our preparation is similar. The preparation started after the T20 World Cup 2024 got over. Since then, we have been trying new things and everything is working for us."

The skipper's assertion notwithstanding, the Indian team will still be looking closely at a few areas. The top order will be under particular scrutiny, with Shubman Gill returning from a neck injury. His fire-and-ice match-up with the explosive Abhishek Sharma will be central to India's plans, and this match - as well as the series - will give Gill the opportunity to complement the hard-hitting opener with his own style of controlled aggression.

Apart from Gill, the other major focus will be on Hardik Pandya. Out of action since the Asia Cup, the all-rounder remains crucial to India's balance - opening the bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah and slotting in at No. 6 with the bat. His presence is even more significant after the Nitish Kumar Reddy experiment as a pace-bowling all-rounder failed to take off.

India will need Pandya fit over the next three months, and, ironically, he was conspicuous by his absence at training on Monday after experiencing discomfort while bowling in the nets the previous evening. Sources said he is fine.

When: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 7 PM local time

Where: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

What to expect: With a new red-soil base, the Barabati surface bears resemblance to the Wankhede track - a typical T20 wicket, full of runs. Having lost both of their previous games against South Africa at this venue, India will be keen to break the trend.

Team News

India

Players are all fit with slight uncertainty over Hardik Pandya, who experienced discomfort while bowling at the nets on Sunday evening. With Shubman Gill opening with Abhishek Sharma, there is unlikely to be a place in the XI for Sanju Samson. Shivam Dube will be the third pacer which means Arshdeep Singh may sit out.

Probable XI: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.

South Africa

Aiden Markram is back as South Africa captain for the T20Is after being rested for the limited-overs series against Pakistan a few weeks back. He's set to open with Quinton de Kock while it remains to be seen if Tony de Zorzi, who picked up an injury in the second ODI, has made sufficient recovery. Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs will form the middle order core along with David Miller, who is set to return after a hamstring injury forced him to miss the Pakistan series. Among the bowlers, Anrich Nortje is set to make his first international appearance since the 2024 T20 World Cup final against India. Nortje might prove useful early on against Shubman Gill, having dismissed the Indian opener 4 times in 7 innings in T20 cricket, while he has also accounted for India captain Suryakumar Yadav twice in six innings.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

Did you know

At the Barabati Stadium, India have played two T20Is against SA and lost both (while defending), in 2015 and 2022 respectively

Jasprit Bumrah, currently on 99 T20I wickets, is set to become just the fifth bowler to 100 wickets in all three formats.

Hardik Pandya, who currently has 98 wickets in the format, is on the verge of another milestone.

What did they say

I feel in the last 5-6 series which we have played, we have tried and played with a similar combination. We have not changed too much. We don't want to change a lot even going into the next two series also. The only thing is what type of cricket we want to play. That is one thing which we always want to try and do when we take the field. Rest, we don't want to change anything about what is happening: Suryakumar Yadav about India's team combination

It's great that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not part of the T20I side, but still it's a great Indian team. T20 is a different battle altogether. We will approach it with a different plan. I won't speak about records, but tomorrow we will try to give our best and enjoy the game: Aiden Markram on the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from India's T20I side