India started their T20 World Cup 2026 preparations with an impressive 101-run win against South Africa in the first T20 match at the Barabati Stadium. hardik pandyaStrong all-round performance and disciplined bowling performance. This win has put India 1-0 ahead in the five-match series. Chasing 176, South Africa's innings collapsed almost immediately. Arshdeep Singh hits a four on his second ball quinton de kock For a duck. After this, he stopped the initial aggression of the batsman by dismissing Tristan Stubbs in the third over. Aiden Markram and Dewald Brewis attempted to rebuild, but Akshar PatelThe start inside the powerplay brought immediate success as the South African captain was bowled out for 14.
Hardik Pandya, who is returning to the national team after injury, also made an impact with the ball. David Miller was out on his very first ball, which increased South Africa's problems further. The collapse picked up pace, with only Marco Janssen offering a brief counterattack through a pair of sixes before Varun Chakravarthy halted the innings. Jasprit Bumrah then achieved a personal milestone by taking his 100th T20I wicket by dismissing Brevis, and added Keshav Maharaj moments later. Soon after, Axar Patel dismissed Anrich Nortje and Shivam Dube dismissed Lutho Sipamla to end the match as South Africa collapsed to just 74 runs in 12.3 overs, their lowest score in T20I history. Earlier in the evening, India had a bad start. Lungi Ngidi returned after dismissing Shubman Gill in the very first over. Suryakumar YadavWho briefly hit a six and a four, including his trademark supala shot. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma took the innings forward to take India to 40/2 after six overs, but Abhishek's dismissal to Sipamala brought the momentum to a halt again. Tilak and Axar Patel tried to take the lead in the middle overs but struggled for rhythm. Tilak's innings of 26 off 32 eventually ended, with India looking for momentum. The responsibility fell on Hardik Pandya, who played an innings of rare fluency on a slow pitch all night long. His unbeaten 59 off 28 balls with six fours and four sixes took India to a competitive score of 175/6. Late contributions from Shivam Dubey and Jitesh Sharma added valuable runs. Despite South Africa's early successes and Jensen's tight spells, Pandya stood out with timing and power that few others managed to bring to the surface. His innings changed India's innings and ultimately decided the course of the match. With India leading 1-0, the teams will now travel to New Chandigarh for the second T20 match at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Brief Score: India 175/6 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 59*, Tilak Verma 26; Lungi Ngidi 3/31, Lutho Sipamla 2/38) South Africa all out for 74 runs in 12.3 overs (Dewald Brevis 22, Tristan Stubbs 14; Axar Patel 2/7, Arshdeep Singh 2/14) India won by 101 runs.
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