Who won India vs South Africa 1st T20I today? — Match result & turning points

India defeated South Africa by 101 runs in the first T20I of the five-match series at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, on Tuesday, December 9. South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to field first. India posted 175/6 in their innings, with Hardik Pandya leading the charge. Pandya remained unbeaten on 59 from 28 balls, outplaying the South African bowling attack, while the other batters failed to make significant contributions.

For South Africa, Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3/31, while Lutho Sipamla took 2/38.

In response, the Proteas were bowled out for just 74 runs, with Dewald Brevis top-scoring with 22. The rest of the batting lineup collapsed under pressure. India’s bowling attack dominated, with Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel each picking up two wickets to secure a comprehensive victory.

Top batting performance of the match — Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was the top scorer of the match, showcasing his experience to guide the Men in Blue’s innings. He remained unbeaten on 59 from 28 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 210.71, completely outplaying the Proteas bowlers.

With other batters struggling, Pandya anchored the innings and struck the right shots to take India to a formidable total in the first T20I.

Top Bowling performance of the match - Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah bowled the standout spell of the match, claiming two crucial wickets in Cuttack. He finished with figures of 2/17 from three overs, dismissing Dewald Brevis and Keshav Maharaj. While the rest of the Indian bowlers contributed effectively, Bumrah’s incisive spell set the tone and made him the standout performer in the opening T20I.

Who won the Player of the Match? Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Hardik Pandya was named Player of the Match in the first T20I of the five-match series for his unbeaten 59 off 28 balls. He also contributed with the ball, taking the wicket of David Miller and finishing with figures of 1/16.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Jasprit Bumrah became only the second Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20Is.
• Only five players have achieved the milestone of 100 wickets across all three international formats, Jasprit Bumrah, Shakib Al Hasan, Lasith Malinga, Shaheen Afridi, and Tim Southee.
• Arshdeep Singh also claimed 47 wickets in the powerplay overs (1 to 6), the joint-highest for India alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
• Hardik Pandya reached a personal milestone by hitting his 100th T20I six, becoming only the fourth Indian player to achieve this feat.

What is the next match?

The second match of the five-match T20I series will be played on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.