Hardik Pandya made a memorable return to competitive cricket, scoring an unbeaten fifty and taking a crucial wicket as India secured a dominant 101-run victory over South Africa in the opening match of
the five-match series on Tuesday.
The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the series and led to South Africa’s lowest-ever T20I total. Their previous lowest score was also against India, 87 all out in Rajkot in 2022.
South Africa had pushed India onto the back foot by asking them to bat first on a challenging red-soil surface, but Pandya’s commanding 59 not out off 28 balls rescued India from early trouble, allowing them to post a competitive total of 175/6.
South Africa struggled on a pitch that demanded discipline, getting bowled out for a mere 74 in 12.3 overs as the Indian bowlers demonstrated relentless accuracy.
Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel each took two wickets, while Pandya fittingly claimed the prized scalp of David Miller. This match also marked South Africa’s first defeat in three T20Is in Cuttack. While India started shakily, South Africa’s beginning was disastrous.
Arshdeep set the tone with a superb away-swinger that dismissed Quinton de Kock for a two-ball duck. In his next over, Arshdeep produced another excellent delivery, a length ball that swung back into Tristan Stubbs (14). India reviewed the decision, and UltraEdge confirmed an inside edge onto the elbow before Jitesh Sharma completed a sharp catch, leaving South Africa at 18/2 within four overs.
Axar was introduced in the final over of the powerplay and struck immediately. Aiden Markram, shuffling back to work a skiddy, straight delivery, was bowled on the inside edge. At 28/3 in six overs, South Africa was already in trouble.
Pandya then added to their woes by dismissing Miller. After the powerplay, Chakravarthy, operating with sharp drift and deceptive pace, got into action. Donovan Ferreira was late to react to a delivery that held back, nicking it behind to Jitesh. Marco Jansen, who had fielded brilliantly earlier, fell to Chakravarthy’s googly as South Africa slid to 68/6.
The end came quickly with Bumrah cleaning up Dewald Brevis and Keshav Maharaj within four deliveries.
Earlier, returning after 74 days following a left quadricep injury that kept him out of the Asia Cup, Pandya walked in at No. 6 and immediately changed the game’s tempo. India had struggled in both the powerplay and middle overs, losing six wickets, but Pandya, who had proved his fitness at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda with a 42-ball 77 not out, counter-attacked with clean, fearless hitting to reach his sixth T20I fifty.
He began with two towering sixes against Maharaj just after a well-set Tilak Varma (26) was dismissed. Pandya then took on Anrich Nortje with a 17-run over, even stepping out to a 149kph delivery to punch it for four. Jansen tried to rush him with short balls, but Pandya pulled one with conviction before racing to his fifty, lifting the mood in the stadium.
He struck a six and four off Lutho Sipamla (2/38) in the 19th over and reached his half-century in 25 balls with a ramped six over third man off Nortje in the final over, celebrating with a muted raise of the bat. Pandya’s late fireworks helped India add 71 runs in the last six overs.
But India struggled early on the fresh red-soil surface, which offered two-paced bounce. Abhishek Sharma (17), Shubman Gill (4), and Suryakumar Yadav (12) all fell inside seven overs as Lungi Ngidi (3/31) exploited the conditions superbly with clever variations. He removed Gill early as the batter chipped to Jansen at mid-off and later had captain Suryakumar caught by Markram, leaving India at 17/2.
Abhishek tried to increase the pace after the field restrictions lifted but fell to Sipamla due to a stunning sliding catch by the 2.06m Jansen sprinting across from long leg to fine leg. His brief stay of 17 off 12 balls ended just as he began to find rhythm with back-to-back boundaries, and India soon slipped to 48/3 in 6.3 overs.
Varma looked set while hitting a towering six off Nortje and two fours in his 32-ball 26. However, the Indian innings started to wobble again as he and Axar (23) were dismissed by Ngidi and Sipamla, respectively.
(With PTI Inputs)
