India vs South Africa, 1st T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

India have announced themselves in this series with authority. South Africa’s innings disappeared in a flash and whatever resistance was expected simply didn’t show up, thanks to India’s relentless bowling. The pitch in Cuttack tested everyone. Everyone except Hardik Pandya, who played like the conditions were tailor-made for him. India head into the second T20I brimming with confidence. Will South Africa hit back? Only time will tell. That’s it from us tonight. This is Nikhil signing off with Anurag and Mukesh. Goodbye!

Hardik Pandya | Player of the Match: I had to back my shots. At the same point of time, I realized that the wicket had a bit of spice. You had to be a little gutsy, and it was more about timing the ball, not trying to break the ball. I was very satisfied with the way I was batting. I think the last six or seven months have been really amazing from a fitness standpoint. I don’t make a big deal about the hard work that goes behind it, but at the same time, these last 50 days, being away from your loved ones, spending time at the NCA, making sure everything is covered. It’s very satisfying when you come here and the results follow. As a cricketer, I don’t think I’ve ever been fussy about my role. I’ve always been motivated to make sure it doesn’t matter what Hardik Pandya wants; it matters what India wants. Whenever I get opportunities, I try to do my best. Some days are good, some aren’t, but the mindset always helps me. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to put my team first, the nation first, whichever team I’ve played for. That’s my biggest USP and that’s what has always helped me. I kind of knew he (Maharaj) wouldn’t go closer to Axar. I didn’t plan it that way, it was just that if it came into my arc, I wanted to go for it. He took a chance and I took a chance. Mine was more calculated on that track, and it paid off. I think that gave us rhythm, gave us momentum that we capitalised on. We were 20-25 runs ahead of the game when those overs began. It’s just about gamesmanship, identifying the right bowler to take down on the day. When it comes off, it looks good.

Suryakumar Yadav: I told at the toss that we were 50-50, but very happy to bat first. I mean, absolutely. At 48 for 3, and then from there getting to 175… the way Hardik batted, Axar batted, Tilak batted, and in the end Jitesh coming in, chipping in and doing his role, I think it was very important. At first, we thought we’d get to 160, but then 175 was unbelievable. I mean, absolutely. See, with 7-8 batters, there will be days when 2-3 batters won’t have their day, but then the other 4 batters will cover it up and they did cover it up today. Maybe in the next game you’ll see someone else covering it up. That’s how T20 cricket goes, and that’s how we want everyone to play. We want everyone to be fearless and enjoy their batting. India is having a great run. I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers to bowl at the start. The way they were bowling when they won the toss and bowled first, the way the new ball was being bowled by them, I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the better option. But then Hardik coming in later on, coming back from injury, it was important to take care of him as well. And the way he bowled, I’m very happy with it. I mean, batting first, 48 for 3 and then scoring about 90-91 runs from overs 7 to 15, and then finishing with 40-44 runs in the last five overs to get to 175… I think it was really, really commendable. The way we bowled, the amount of options we had, I think 175 was quite decent.

Aiden Markram: Yeah, I think there were some good signs with the ball and in the field. Nice to start the way we did. We put some emphasis on starting well, and that was a box we ticked, so we can be proud of that. From a batting point of view, it’s unfortunately something that can happen in this format. It’s a pity that it had to happen in the first game, but you have to draw a line through it. It’s a quick turnaround and we’ll give it another crack in a couple of days’ time. Yeah, I felt it (the pitch) was quite sticky. That steep tennis-ball bounce and a little bit there with the ball throughout the innings. 175, I suppose we would have taken it. We would’ve backed ourselves to chase that down. You can always nitpick and find areas where you feel it could have been better to reduce it by 10-15 runs, but we would have taken that. We just needed to be better with the bat, and unfortunately that wasn’t the case. It’s quite hard. Nowadays in T20 cricket, there’s not much time to look around and absorb. But the biggest factor was obviously not being able to build partnerships, settling after losing wickets and getting some momentum on our side. So yeah, we’ll have brief conversations tomorrow. You don’t want to dive too deep into things like this. You almost just want to draw a line through it and stick to the positive ways of this format.

Arshdeep Singh: The thought process is simple: just go there and try to use as much help as there is in the wicket and try to get the team early wickets. I feel like if you were hitting the seam hard, there was something in the wicket, either it was bouncing more or seaming in or out. So the idea was to just hit the seam as hard as possible and get as much purchase off the wicket. I bowled full, got a wicket. Then bowled full, went for a four. Then I knew I had to bowl short, got a wicket on that. Again bowled full, went for a four. So yeah, I was getting quick reminders there. Yeah, I just told him (Bumrah), “Welcome.” Congratulated him and told him, “Welcome to the club” (100 T20I wickets). Yes, it makes life very easy for the captain as well. They can play around with the bowling combinations, whenever he wants Jassi (Bumrah) bhai to bowl three in the powerplay or me to bowl three in the powerplay. We just try to give him as much flexibility as possible and we’re enjoying each other’s company. I mean, I’m just trying to enjoy the present and just have fun. It’s very rare you get to play on these kinds of wickets where there’s seam and swing on offer. So I just try to stay patient, not get too excited seeing help in the wicket, stay disciplined and enjoy whatever is there.

Sub-100 all-out totals for SA in T20Is
74 vs IND, Cuttack, 2025
87 vs IND, Rajkot, 2022
89 vs AUS, Johannesburg, 2020
95 vs IND, Johannesburg, 2023
96 vs AUS, Cape Town, 2020
98 vs SL, Colombo (RPS), 2018

South Africa have now lost six T20Is by a margin of 100-plus runs, three of those to India.

Lowest all-out totals vs IND in T20Is
57 - UAE, Dubai, 2025
66 - NZ, Ahmedabad, 2023
70 - IRE, Dublin (Malahide), 2018
74 - SA, Cuttack, 2025
80 - ENG, Colombo (RPS), 2012

Most dismissals for an India wicketkeeper in a T20I
5 - MS Dhoni vs ENG, Bristol, 2018
4 - MS Dhoni vs AFG, Gros Islet, 2010
4 - MS Dhoni vs PAK, Colombo (RPS), 2012
4 - MS Dhoni vs SL, Cuttack, 2017
4 - Dinesh Karthik vs ENG, Southampton, 2022
4 - Jitesh Sharma vs SA, Cuttack, 2025

22:08 Local Time, 16:38 GMT, 22:08 IST: India have kicked off the 5-match T20I series in emphatic fashion. Early jitters threatened to derail India's innings, until Hardik Pandya stepped in and rewrote the script with a superb knock on a stubborn pitch. With others fighting for timing, his innings lifted India beyond what looked like a modest score. And once the bowlers came on, the game flipped completely. South Africa’s top-order crumbled, losing de Kock, Stubbs, Markram and Miller even before the scoreboard could crawl to 50. Brevis offered lone resistance, holding one end despite wickets tumbling around him, but with the required rate climbing steeply, South Africa stayed behind the chase throughout and were eventually bowled out for 74. Both sets of bowlers exploited the conditions well, striking at regular intervals, but it was Hardik Pandya’s innings that truly shaped the outcome. Stay around for the presentations..

Shivam Dube to Sipamla, THATS OUT!! Caught!!