The floodlights are on, the soil is red, and the stakes are massive. After wrapping up the ODI leg, a completely different looking Indian unit is set for the first of five T20Is against South Africa. Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, still nursing memories of a 20-minute blackout during an India-England ODI in February, will attempt to redeem itself under the same towers that once betrayed it.
This isn’t just another bilateral series for the world champions. It is the first of the 10 T20Is India will play at home before they head into the 2026 T20 World Cup on these very shores. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, however, believes the preparation for the Men in Blue started immediately after the previous T20 World Cup. “Our 2026 T20 World Cup preparation began right after we won the T20 World Cup in 2024… Since then, we have been trying new things and everything is working for us,” he said with the calm of a man who knows the machine is humming.
India have owned this format since Barbados 2024: 26 wins, 4 losses, an Asia Cup win in Dubai, and four victories in the last five meetings with South Africa. The Proteas, meanwhile, have managed only five wins in 14 T20Is this year.
The biggest cheers in the Indian camp will greet two familiar faces walking out of the injury room: Shubman Gill, back after a neck spasm forced him to miss almost a month, and Hardik Pandya, returning after more than two months due to a quadriceps injury sustained in the Asia Cup.
One question India would be looking to answer is the wicketkeeper’s slot. Sanju Samson’s talent is unquestionable, yet the big scores still come in bursts rather than streams. He looked like a fish out of water when thrown in the middle-order during the Asia Cup. Jitesh Sharma, on the other hand, has quietly become the prototype of what India have been looking for: a genuine lower-order wrecker. An IPL strike rate north of 170 and a string of decisive 20-30 run bursts (like the 22 off 13 at No. 7 in Hobart against Australia) show he is built for chaos. That plug-and-play aggression sits perfectly with Gautam Gambhir’s demand for an ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. In a format that punishes hesitation, Jitesh is starting to look less like an option and more like the answer. But will India try out Sanju again against the Proteas?
The real wildcard on Tuesday night could be the 22 yards in the middle. For the first time in its history, Barabati will roll out a red-soil pitch instead of the traditional black-soil strip. Pace or spin? Bounce or turn? No one knows yet. Dew will loom large once again.
When told about the surface during the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar’s eyes widened for a split second. “Red soil? And for the first time?” said the skipper, who hadn’t found time to inspect the track. “I think it should be good. Black soil would have been better, but I feel the red soil will also play well. A red soil wicket can be quick too. Let’s see. If it’s fast, that’s good.”
Fast, slow, red or black, one thing feels certain: under lights that now (hopefully) stay on, India begin another march. Ten games to go until they walk out to defend their crown. Game I is here.
India’s likely XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana/Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa’s likely XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (C), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs/Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
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