Published: December 8, 2025 at 2:47 pm
After being at the receiving end of South Africa in the Test series, Team India bounced back to win the ODI series 2-1 and now the action shifts to the T20 campaign. The first game of the five-match series will be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday.
The team has received a boost with the availability of Shubman Gill, who leads the Indian team in the longer formats of the game, and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The series also gives the Indian team, who are the defending T20 World Champions, an opportunity to fine tune their strategies and test their bench strength in preparation of the T20 World Cup to be held early next year.
“Both [Gill and Pandya] are looking healthy and fit,” captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the pre-match press conference. “What you saw in the Asia Cup also, when he [Hardik] was bowling with the new ball, he opened up a lot of options, combinations for us with respect to the playing XI,” Suryakumar said. “That’s what he brings to the table. His experience, the way he has done well in all big games, all ICC events, ACC events. I think that experience will count a lot and his presence will definitely give a good balance to the side,” he added.
After this series, India will take on New Zealand in another five-match series before playing their first World Cup match against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. Hence, the objective of the team management will be to determine the roles of the players and develop the possible combination before the World Cup.
Not much to change
“The preparation for the World Cup started after the 2024 World Cup ended. When we give exams in school, it is not like everyone studies in the last four days. We study for a year or two. Our preparation is the same,” he said. “We don’t want to change a lot going into the next two series. The only thing we will work on is what type of cricket we want to play. We have two months left for the World Cup, before which we are going to play 10 good T20s against two good teams (South Africa and New Zealand).”
India have quite a formidable record in T20 cricket as they have been on a winning streak. They had won eight consecutive matches in the World Cup to clinch the title. Since then, they have extended their winning streak to 26, including seven consecutive victories in the Asia Cup. They had lost only four matches during this time. The team has also not lost a T20 series.
Gill was ruled out of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata due to neck stiffness and given his consistent cricketing history since the last IPL and India’s upcoming busy season, his workload management will be closely monitored. Yet, this series is crucial for Gill, who has scored 837 runs in 33 T20 Internationals at an average of 29.89, as it will give him the chance to prepare well for the ICC tournament. Gill’s return will create a strong opening pair with Abhishek Sharma.
Abhishek performed brilliantly in Australia, scoring 163 runs and finishing as India’s highest run-scorer. He has also performed well at the domestic level. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, the left-handed scored 304 runs at an average of 50.66 and a strike rate of over 249, including a blistering 148 off 52 balls against Bengal.
Pandya’s return is equally significant for India. The all-rounder, who was out for more than two months due to a quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup, made a brilliant comeback, scoring an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls for Baroda in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy and then taking one wicket for 52 runs in four overs.
Pandy had arrived a day before the rest of the team and practiced alone at the Barabati Stadium. His return will provide the Indian team with the necessary balance. Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s prolonged poor form has been a major topic of discussion before this series. He scored 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL but has not performed as expected since.
It’s between Sanju and Jitesh
The wicketkeeper-batter’s position is contested between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Samson batted only once in Australia, batting at number three. Subsequently, Jitesh was included in the squad for the final three T20 matches. Since India’s World Cup victory, Samson is third on the list of Indian batters with the most runs. He has scored three centuries as an opener, two of which came in South Africa. However, Gill’s return as vice-captain has pushed Samson into a role lower down the order, a role he has rarely played in T20 cricket before. Samson also performed well in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring two half-centuries. Jitesh’s highest score in six matches was 41.
“Sanju, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher up the order,” he said. “Now the thing is, other than the openers, everyone has to be flexible. He did really well when he opened the innings, but Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series, so he deserves to take that spot,” Suryakumar said.
“But we gave Sanju opportunities. He was ready to bat at any number, which is actually good to see a player being flexible to bat anywhere from No. 3 to 6. That’s one thing I have told all the batters that other than openers, everyone has to be very flexible. Both [Samson and Jitesh] are in the scheme of things. It’s always good to have lovely players like both of them. One can open; one can bat lower down the order. In fact, both can do all the roles. It’s an asset to the team and a good headache to have,” he added.
Nortje, Maharaj boost for SA
For the South Africans, fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was out of action since last year’s T20 World Cup final, has returned to the squad, strengthening their bowling attack. Marco Jansen is on his way to becoming a unique all-rounder. He showcased his batting prowess with a 39-ball 70 in the first ODI in Ranchi.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is also returning to the limited-overs squad, although South Africa will miss star batsman Tony de Giorgi and young fast bowler Kwena Mphaka, who have been ruled out of the five-match series due to injury.
The squads: India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakraborty.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottineil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.
Match starts at 7 pm.
