India looks to sharpen up; South Africa hope to turn fortunes in T20 format

CUTTACK: The third and final, and possibly the most important, part of South Africa’s tour of India gets underway on Tuesday, with the two teams facing off in the first of five T20Is at the Barabati Stadium here.

The Men in Blue have been almost unstoppable in this format, winning all six bilaterals (26 wins, four defeats) since clinching the T20 World Cup in 2024. With the title defence coming up on home soil next year, the focus will remain on fine-tuning an already well-oiled machine.

Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya return to the squad, the former recovering from a neck spasm and the latter overcoming a quadriceps injury.

Much of the side’s fortunes depend on how the opening pair of Gill and Abhishek Sharma go about their business. The latter has been the best in the business lately, his 27 sixes the most by any player in T20Is this year.

The Proteas, unlike their opponents, have been in dismal form in T20Is this year, winning just five of 14 matches. In fact, they have won just one series (of eight) since last year’s showpiece event. Their fortunes will bank on opener Quinton de Kock to continue his fine form in India, averaging 50.88 in T20Is. With Dewald Brevis striking at 223 in the middle overs, the best by any player this year, there’s enough firepower in the tank for the visitors.

The two teams have squared off in T20Is at this venue twice before (2015 and 2022), with South Africa coming out on top both times. Agencies

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