IND vs SA T20 Series: India vs South Africa T20 series starts today; Team India stronger with the return of Gill-Pandya

Scroll down to read the news in brief...

The five-match T-20 series between India and South Africa is starting from Tuesday. The return of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya has strengthened the Indian team. Gill has overcome the neck injury sustained during the Test series against Africa, and the BCCI's Center of Excellence has declared him fully fit. The Indian T-20 team is led by Suryakumar Yadav, with Gill set to take the field as vice-captain.

The first match will be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, while the second match will take place at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Chandigarh. Dharamshala will host the third match, and the fourth match will be played at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The final fifth T-20 match of the series will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Although India won the previous ODI series 2-1, they had to accept a 2-0 defeat in the Test series. Against this backdrop, it is expected that the Indian team will make a strong comeback in the T-20 series. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will lead the Indian fast bowling, while the world's number one T-20 bowler Varun Chakravarthy will be the main weapon of the spin attack.

Hardik Pandya is making a comeback to the Indian team after three months. He missed the Australia tour due to a quadriceps injury sustained after the Asia Cup. His return will significantly strengthen the middle order and the bowling unit.

The South African team is led by Aiden Markram. T-20 specialist David Miller is in the team, and fast bowler Anrich Nortje has returned to the Proteas T-20 team after one and a half years. Strong batsmen like Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, and Dewald Brevis will challenge the Indian bowlers.

There have been 31 T-20 matches between the two teams so far. Out of these, India has won 18 times, while South Africa has won 12 matches, and one match ended without a result. Notably, India defeated South Africa in the final match of the 2024 T-20 World Cup to claim the title.

The India vs South Africa T-20 series can be watched live on JioHotstar and will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network. All matches in the series, including the match in Cuttack, will start at 7 PM Indian time. This series will be important for both teams as preparation for the 2026 T-20 World Cup. It will be interesting to see if the Indian team makes a strong comeback or if South Africa delivers a surprise.