India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match: India will take on South Africa in the first match of the five-game T20I series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. The visitors come into the T20Is after a commanding 2-0 win in the Test series. India responded with a 2-1 victory in the ODIs.
Weather Report
According to the forecast, Cuttack is set to have clear skies on match day. There is no rain expected during the evening. Temperatures are likely to stay between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius. Humidity may rise above 40 per cent. Wind speed is expected to remain low at around 7 km per hour.
Pitch Report
The Barabati Stadium pitch is expected to favour batters. The ball is likely to come nicely on the bat, and fast bowlers may get some assistance with the new ball. Batters will need to adjust in the early overs before taking advantage in the middle and later stages of the innings. Dew is expected in the second half, which will make batting easier as the ball skids on the surface.
Teams winning the toss are likely to bowl first to use early movement and then chase under easier conditions. Spinners may prefer to bowl in the first half before dew reduces their grip and turn. A team batting first may need to target a total above 210 to stay in the contest, especially with conditions likely to ease for the chasing side.
Squads
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma(w), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Reeza Hendricks, Ottneil Baartman, Donovan Ferreira, Kwena Maphaka, George Linde
Live coverage
Star Sports Network will telecast all five matches. Live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.
