India vs South Africa highlights, 1st T20I: Sanju Samson shines as India beat South Africa by 61 runs, take 1-0 lead in four-match series

South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to field against India in the first T20 International on Friday.

Hosts South Africa have handed a debut to 21-year-old all-rounder Andile Simelane.

The two teams will play a four-match series.

Teams:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakravarthy.

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Partrick Kruger,Marco Jansen,Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter.

India (Playing XI) - Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy.

South Africa (Playing XI) - Ryan Rickelton (WK), Aiden Markram (C), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane (On Debut), Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter.

Suryakumar Yadav on Thursday shared a key lesson he learned from Rohit Sharma, emphasizing the importance of maintaining balance, especially in challenging times.

According to Surya, Rohit's philosophy centers on staying grounded, even when things aren’t going your way. Rohit has taught him that life balance is essential, helping players handle losses and setbacks without getting overly emotional.

As India's T20I captain following the World Cup triumph, Surya acknowledged adopting 'Rohit's captaincy route' of dedicating substantial time with teammates away from the cricket field, believing it enhances their performance during matches.

Naturally, he has 'customized' this approach to align with his own leadership style and requirements.

"Winning and losing is part and parcel of sports. Everyone has done hard work. Sometimes you do well and sometimes you don't," said Surya, on the eve of the first T20I against South Africa in Durban, when asked about India's 0-3 defeat against New Zealand.

"I have learnt from him (Rohit) that in life, balance is important, after doing well, even if you lose, your character should not change. This is one quality sportsman should have," Surya added.

It's CLOUDY in Durban at the moment.

There is a 99 percent cloud cover.

Humidity is 73 percent.

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav wore the hat of a chef to introduce two new entries to the Indian team -- bowler Vyshak Vijaykumar and batsman Ramandeep Singh -- in the most innovative way, ahead of the team's opening match in Durban on Friday.

In a video shared by the BCCI on social media, Surya, popularly called SKY, is seen presenting the players like a chef explains the ingredients of his recipes on a cookery show.

"Captain & Chef SKY introduces two new faces/dishes to the team menu. Ready to serve," the caption with the video-post read. "SKY like never seen before," it added.

South Africa’s T20I captain Aiden Markram clarified on Thursday that the upcoming series against India is not being viewed as a rematch of the T20 World Cup final, despite the anticipation.

In a pre-match conference, Markram emphasized that while it’s the same competing nations, both teams have seen significant personnel changes.

"It's the same countries I guess, but personnel has changed for both teams. It's always an exciting series when you play against India and especially when you play them at home. It's a series we have always looked forward to,” the South African skipper said.

The four-match series begins at Kingsmead, Durban, on Friday, marking South Africa’s first T20 face-off with India since their close World Cup final loss almost four months back.

However, both squads have shifted dramatically from those that competed in Barbados.

"We have not addressed anything about it being a rematch or things like that. Obviously, a lot of talk and promotions have happened through that lens, which is completely understandable," Markram added

Weather in Durban:

Cloudy with a thunderstorm in parts of the area

Temp:

21 degree

Cloud Cover:

100 %

Humidity:

84%

India are set to face South Africa in a four-match Twenty20 International series, and all eyes will be on captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is approaching a significant milestone in his career.


Suryakumar currently ranks third among Indian batters with the most runs against South Africa in T20Is.

Surya, with 346 runs in 7 T20Is at an impressive average of 57.66, needs just 84 more runs to surpass Rohit Sharma's record and become the highest-scoring Indian batter against South Africa in T20Is.

India's Test and ODI captain Rohit, who led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup earlier this year, tops the list with 429 runs at an average of 26.81 in 18 T20I matches against South Africa.

Ahead of the first T20I against South Africa in Durban, Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav said he is not overly concerned about his chances of rejoining the Indian Test squad, noting that if it's meant to happen, it will.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar remarked, "When the time comes, I will make a Test comeback. I am playing in all domestic tournaments, be it red-ball or white-ball. I don't miss any games. If a Test comeback is meant to happen, it will."

Although a regular in India's white-ball setup, Suryakumar has played only one Test match - against Australia in 2023, scoring eight runs in his sole innings.

In the same year, he was named as a reserve player in the ICC World Test Championship Final squad.

In 84 first-class games, Suryakumar has accumulated 5,656 runs at an average of 42.84, with 14 centuries and 29 fifties across 140 innings, his highest score being 200.