IND vs SA 1st T20I Match Preview: Pitch, Weather Details, Head To Head, Playing 11, Prediction. India won the ODI series against South Africa 2–1. Now India will meet the Proteas for the first T20I out of five on December 9, 2025, at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The ODI series victory has given India the advantage and turned the T20I series opener into a highly anticipated event.
Match Details
Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.
Date & Time: 9 December 2025, 7:00 PM IST.
Series: 1st of 5 T20Is — part of South Africa’s tour of India 2025/26.
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Pitch & Weather Report
The Barabati pitch allocated for the match is a red-soil surface, which the curators consider best. Usually, this type of surface gives bowlers — mainly spinners — a greater advantage due to its uneven bounce and movement. This can offer challenging batting situations under lights.
Evening temperatures are likely to be cool, but dew is possible later on. This may affect the playing conditions — making the toss important, and bowling first may be the choice of many.
Head-to-Head in T20Is
The T20I record between India and South Africa shows 31 matches, with India winning 18, South Africa 12, and 1 match ending in a no result.
However, South Africa has managed to win a few T20Is under Indian conditions — even at places like Barabati — and this adds intrigue and unpredictability to the series opener.
Probale Playing 11
India probable XI: 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.
South Africa probable XI: Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Matthew Breetzke, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje.
Streaming & Broadcast Details
Indian viewers can watch the match live on Star Sports Network or stream it on JioHotstar.
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Prediction & What to Expect
The match could be a low-to-medium scoring thriller — where one team scoring around 160 to 180 runs could be winning—because of the pitch being favourable to bowlers and the possible pressure conditions under the lights. India, which has recently done well in ODIs and is familiar with the home conditions, will be the slight favourites.
Meanwhile, South Africa should not be neglected because their bowling will be effective only if they get the batters out early, and their batting performs well under pressure. It will be a close and thrilling contest where India will have the upper hand, but South Africa will not be far off.