Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill during practice session in Cuttack ahead of the first T20I vs South Africa. (PHOTO: BCCI/X)
While the shocking whitewash they suffered at home in the Test series against South Africa may remain the main talking point regardless of what happens in the upcoming T20I series, India will be hoping to make as comprehensive a statement as possible by asserting their dominance in the first T20I of the rubber in Cuttack on Tuesday. The Indian T20I team have been almost unstoppable since they were crowned world champions in 2024, having won all six of the series and tournaments they have played since then.
IND vs SA 1st T20 Live Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here
Moreover, their style of play has also caught the world’s imagination, with the big-hitting prowess of the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson and so on helping them often put up astronomical scores. India are a pretty settled side already going into the 2026 T20 World Cup, save for a couple of key positions.
India vs South Africa 1st T20 Live Cricket Score Updates: watch here
Sanju Samson seemed the first-choice wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup, the inclusion of Shubman Gill from the Asia Cup onwards has changed the dynamics. Having started the Suryakumar-Gautam Gambhir tenure as an opener, he had made way for Samson, as India’s priority lay on Tests. After a season-best IPL, Gill duly took the spot at the top with his childhood friend Abhishek, with Samson moved to the middle-order in the UAE and Australia before losing the spot to Jitesh by the end of the tour.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana/Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock /Donovan Ferreira (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Donovan Ferreira (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ottneil Baartman, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
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