Cuttack, Dec 9 (NationPress) South Africa has won the toss and chosen to bowl first against India in the opening T20I of the five-match series at the Barabati Stadium. This series serves as a crucial opportunity for both teams to gear up for the T20 World Cup 2026.

The Indian team enters the match with hopes of maintaining their winning momentum from their recent T20I series against Australia. The return of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya adds to their strength, as both players have recovered from injuries and are making their way back into international cricket. Meanwhile, South Africa is eager for redemption after losing the recent ODI series to India 2-1.

In an interesting twist, a red-soil pitch has been prepared for this match, introducing the unpredictability of an untested wicket. As India aims to refine its squad and strategy in preparation for the World Cup slated for February-March 2026, the team may find these conditions advantageous, especially with similar pitches expected during the tournament.

After winning the toss, Proteas captain Aiden Markram discussed the team's preparations, saying, “We’re going to bowl first. The conditions seem favorable here in India with considerable dew expected throughout the game. It’s vital to maintain the right mindset as we build up to the World Cup. Testing ourselves against one of the world’s top teams will be beneficial as we fine-tune our approach.”

On the other hand, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed satisfaction with batting first, viewing it as a challenge. He commented on the pitch's condition, stating, “We were uncertain looking at the wicket yesterday, but we’re ready to take on the challenge of putting runs on the board and defending them. The dew factor will be a challenge for the bowlers, but we are prepared to tackle it.”

“We had a successful series in Australia, and now we face South Africa in five T20 matches, followed by games against New Zealand. This series is excellent preparation for us,” he added, noting the players absent from the playing XI, including Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Harshit Rana.

Playing XIs:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje