Images from the first T20 International between India and South Africa at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to the Indian team, smashing a blistering half-century to power India to a thumping 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International, in Cuttack, on Tuesday.
Pandya's commanding 59 not out off 28 balls rallied India from a middle order wobble to lift them to a competitive 175/6 in their 20 overs. The hosts came up with a clinical performance with the ball to bundle out South Africa for 74 in 12.3 overs -- their lowest ever total in T20 Internationals. Their previous lowest was also against India -- 87 all out in Rajkot in 2022.
Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel grabbed two wickets each, while Pandya chipped in with the prized scalp of David Miller.
It was also South Africa's first defeat in three T20Is in Cuttack, and if India had started shakily, South Africa began disastrously.
Arshdeep set the tone with a superb away-swinger that kissed past Quinton de Kock's tentative prod for a two-ball duck.
In his next over, Arshdeep produced another beauty -- a length ball that jagged back into the in-form Tristan Stubbs (14).
India went upstairs for the review, and UltraEdge confirmed a thick inside edge onto the elbow before Jitesh Sharma completed a sharp take as South Africa were 18/2 inside 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 beaten on the inside edge to get bowled. At 28/3 in six overs, South Africa were already in a hole.
Pandya then added to their misery, dismissing Miller.
Chakravarthy, operating with sharp drift and deceptive pace, got into action after the powerplay. Donovan Ferreira was late to react to a delivery that held back, and could only nick behind to Jitesh.
Marco Jansen, who had fielded brilliantly earlier, was undone by Chakravarthy's googly as South Africa slid to 68/6.
The end arrived quickly thereafter with Bumrah, who completed 100 T20I wickets, cleaning up Dewald Brevis and Keshav Maharaj in the space of four deliveries.
Earlier, coming back after 74 days following a left quadricep injury that forced him out of the Asia Cup, Pandya walked in at No. 6 and immediately changed the tempo of the match.
He began with two towering sixes against Keshav Maharaj just after Tilak Varma (26) fell, and then ripped into Anrich Nortje with a 17-run over, even stepping out to a 149kph thunderbolt to punch it for four, summing up the raw pace versus brute power duel that lifted the mood in the packed Barabati Stadium.
Marco Jansen tried to rush him with short balls, but Pandya pulled one with vengeance before racing towards fifty.
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 it with a muted raise of the bat.
Pandya's late fireworks helped India add 53 runs in the last five overs, while Nortje, returning from injury, conceded 41 in four, including 12 in the final over.
On a fresh red-soil surface offering two-paced bounce, India struggled early after being sent in.
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 skipper Suryakumar holding out to Aiden Markram..
Gill and Suryakumar took most of the strike in the powerplay, as Abhishek faced only nine balls in the first six overs.
The left-hander tried to force the pace immediately after the field restrictions lifted, but fell to Sipamla, thanks 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 ended just as he began to find rhythm with back-to-back boundaries.
India made notable selection calls, preferring Jitesh Sharma over Sanju Samson for wicketkeeper's slot, while Hardik returned to lead the all-round options.
The Gambhir-led setup also opted for another like-for-like all-rounder in Shivam Dube.
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