India and South Africa will clash in the first T20I match of the three-match series on Tuesday, December 09, at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. India will aim to continue their winning momentum from the last series, while South Africa will aim to start fresh after their recent series defeat to Pakistan. India India, under the leadership of KL Rahul, bounced back in the final match of the series to seal the ODI leg 2-1 after a shameful home Test series defeat. India has been phenomenal under Suryakumar Yadav in the T20Is lately, helping the team secure the Asia Cup 2025 title three months back and beating Australia on their own home soil recently. With Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya returning to the side, the core team has already been strengthened. The team will be eyeing a solid preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. South Africa South Africa, under the leadership of Aiden Markram, will look to start fresh after losing the ODI series. They have not been at their best lately, losing 1-2 to Pakistan in the recent away series. Earlier, they had lost a T20I match to Namibia in a historic defeat. With the T20I World Cup looming, the team will aim to find a perfect balance between the players. They will aim to start fresh and look to build the momentum going into this series. IND vs SA T20I Match Details IND vs SA T20I Match Details Match India vs South Africa 1st T20I Match Date and Time Tuesday, December 9; 7:00 p.m. IST Venue Barabati Stadium, Cuttack Broadcasting and live streaming TV - Star Sports Network, Live Stream - JioHotstar IND vs SA 1st T20I Pitch Report The surface at the Barabati Stadium pitch is likely to offer a balanced surface, which might help both batters and bowlers. But as the match progresses, the pitch will turn slowish, which is not suitable for batsmen as the ball does not come on the bat easily. The average first-innings score here is just 148. This venue has hosted only three T20I games so far, where chasing teams have won two of them. IND vs SA 1st T20I Weather Report The weather in Cuttack on Tuesday is likely to be cloudy with no chances of rain predicted for the game. The temperature, though, is unlikely to drop much, hovering around 27°C with a low humidity of around 35%. The wind speed is likely to be around 2km/h, which might assist fast bowlers early on in the match. IND vs SA Head-to-Head Records IND vs SA head-to-head (in T20Is) Match Played 31 Won by India 18 Won by South Africa 12 Tied 0 No Result 1 IND vs SA 1st T20I Probable XI India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, George Linde Players To Watch Out For In IND vs SA 1st T20I Match Abhishek Sharma | IND: Abhishek Sharma is one of the key players to watch in this match. He has been in great form throughout this year. He is one batter who takes no time in settling down at the crease and attacks from the very first ball itself. He has played 17 innings in T20Is this year and has scored 756 runs at a strike rate of 196.4, which is phenomenal in every term. Axar Patel | IND: Axar Patel remains one of the key players for the team in this format, capable of playing a good knock from his bat and delivering a crucial spell with his bowling too. So far in his T20I career, he has scored 637 runs and picked 79 wickets. If India needs to win this game, a lot will depend on his performance. Marco Jansen | SA: Marco Jansen is the top player to watch from South Africa. The left-arm fast bowler picks up crucial wickets with the new ball and also scores runs in the lower order. In 19 T20Is, he has scored 167 runs and taken 18 wickets. He is a player to watch out for in this game. Aiden Markram | SA: Aiden Markram is someone who shouldn't be ignored at all costs. The SA skipper has featured in 62 T20I matches and has scored 1467 runs, and has also taken 15 wickets. Markram at the top can score quick runs, which can help South Africa in an early lead or help the team score a big total. IND vs SA 1st T20I Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the 3 T20I matches played here, the toss-winning teams have opted to bowl on three occasions. Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch In the three matches played at this venue, it has been recorded that he team batting first has registered victory in one game, while teams batting second have won in two. IND vs SA T20I Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: India (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 42-50 SA Total: 165-170 Match Winner: India Scenario 2 Toss Winner: South Africa (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 52-58 IND Total: 165-180 Match Winner: India Who will win today's IND vs SA 1st T20I match? India will enter this T20I match as clear favourites, as they have shown some dominating performances in this format in the last few months. South Africa's morale might be low after their recent series defeat to Pakistan, but they shouldn't be underestimated. We back India to win this match and take an early lead in the series.