Hardik makes the difference as India crush SA in series opener

Cuttack's maiden red-soil pitch offered a stern examination, and South Africa buckled under its weight, dismissed for 74—their lowest total ever—to lose the first T20I by 101 runs. At the centre of the gulf between the sides was comeback man Hardik Pandya. On a surface that kept most batters guessing, he controlled more than 82% of his strokes and compiled a 28-ball 59* that lifted India to 175/6, a total that proved too many despite the venue's reputation for dew-driven chases.

Suryakumar Yadav, having lost the toss, admitted he was "a bit confused" about the options. The difficulty of batting first quickly showed as Shubman Gill's return from injury lasted just two balls, ending with a catch to mid-off. After a four and a six, captain Suryakumar also miscued to mid-on, with Lungi Ngidi claiming both early wickets.

Abhishek Sharma countered with a couple of fours and a six, and his 31-run stand with Tilak Varma for the third wicket offered stability. Tilak helped maximize the powerplay, timing boundaries off Marco Jansen and slamming an 89-meter six against Anrich Nortje that went out of the stadium.

The partnership was broken by a brilliant catch from Jansen at fine leg. Axar Patel, replacing Abhishek, played a crucial role as the ideal foil to Pandya, who hit six fours and four sixes, including two maximums off his second and third balls.

Wickets kept falling around Pandya, with India's highest partnership (38) coming for the seventh wicket between him and Jitesh Sharma. Cameos from Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube kept the innings moving. India took 18 off the penultimate over, with both Pandya and Jitesh clearing the ropes, before Pandya pushed India to a competitive total with a six in the final over.

South Africa's chase was dented early. Arshdeep Singh removed Quinton de Kock and Tristan Stubbs in his first two overs. It soon became 45/4 when Axar Patel bowled Aiden Markram and Pandya had David Miller caught behind.

The slide continued as Varun Chakaravarthy struck in back-to-back overs to remove Donovan Ferreira and Marco Jansen. Dewald Brevis countered with a 14-ball 22 but top-edged a short ball from Jasprit Bumrah. The dismissal briefly stirred controversy over Bumrah's front foot, but the delivery was ruled legal.

Bumrah and Axar added a wicket each, and Shivam Dube chipped in as South Africa were bowled out in 12.3 overs. Arshdeep entered the 100-T20I wicket club, but it was Pandya who defined the night with an innings no one else could match.

Brief Scores: India 175/6 (Hardik Pandya 59*; Lungi Ngidi 3-31) beat South Africa 74 in 12.3 overs (Dewald Brevis 22; Axar Patel 2-7) by 101 runs.