Team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, faces South Africa in the first T20I at Cuttack. Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya return from injury to boost a young squad. Key decisions remain on the wicketkeeper choice and the ideal pace attack combination.
Team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will take on Aiden Markram-led South Africa in the first T20I of the five-match series at the Barabati Cricket Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 8. The upcoming T20I series is the final leg of the South Africa Tour of India 2025 after the Test and ODI matches wrapped up.
Team India suffered a Test series whitewash at the hands of South Africa before making a strong comeback to clinch the ODI series, giving them a chance to salvage pride before the T20Is begin. The Men in Blue will be without the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as they both retired from the T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year. India have fielded a relatively young squad for the shortest format of the game.
The upcoming T20I series against South Africa is a preparation for the next year’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in February 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, giving the team an opportunity to test combinations and fine-tune strategies ahead of the global event.
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Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya Return after Injury Break
Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya are set to feature in the playing XI as they have returned to the India squad for the T20I series against South Africa. Gill, India's T20I vice-captain, suffered an injury to his neck, which ruled him out of the Guwahati Test and the ODI series against the Proteas. Gill underwent recovery and rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
Gill was added to the squad, but was subjected to fitness testing. Ahead of the Cuttack T20I, the 26-year-old was declared fit by the BCCI medical team and joined the India squad on Sunday. There was uncertainty over his participation in the South Africa T20I series, but he managed to recover in time and was expected to open alongside Punjab teammate and best friend Abhishek Sharma at the top.
Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, has been out of action since being ruled out of the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan due to a quadriceps injury. The star all-rounder missed the white-ball series against Australia and the ODI leg of the home series against South Africa. Pandya underwent recovery and rehabilitation at BCCI CoE in Bengaluru before making his competitive return for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 77 and 10 and picked a wicket each against Punjab and Hyderabad.
The return of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya adds much-needed stability and depth to India’s batting and all-round options ahead of the first T20I.
Harshit Rana Unlikely to Feature in Series Opener
India pacer Harshit Rana is unlikely to be fielded in the playing XI for the T20I series opener against South Africa due to the return to Jasprit Bumrah. Rana did not have an ideal outing in the ODI series against the Proteas, where he struggled with his line and length and failed to make a significant impact with the ball.
With the return of Bumrah, Harshit Rana might not be included in the playing XI. Instead, Arshdeep Singh is expected to get a nod as India looks to field their strongest pace attack for the series opener. Arshdeep is the leading wicket-taker for Team India in T20Is, with 105 wickets in 68 matches, and his ability to bowl in the powerplay and death overs makes him a key asset for the Cuttack T20I.
Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, will spearhead the pace attack and has 99 wickets in 80 T20Is under his belt, putting him on the verge of becoming only the second Indian pacer to complete a century of T20I wickets.
Will Sanju Samson Feature in the Playing XI?
Another selection call for the Team India management is to pick between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as a wicketkeeping option. Samson has struggled to regain his rhythm after dropping down the order from the opener slot, where he scored three centuries in the absence of Shubman Gill.
Since the Asia Cup 2025, Samson scored just 134 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 26.80 in nine matches. The change in batting position apparently affected his consistency and confidence. India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav stated Shubman Gill will play as an opener, while he asked Samson and other batters to be flexible while batting in the middle order.
Jitesh Sharma, on the other hand, is known for his finishing skills and has the ability to clear the ropes and in the death overs and finish matches under pressure, which gives him a strong case if he is picked over Sanju Samson in the playing XI.
It remains to be seen whether the team India management opts for Samson’s experience or Jitesh’s finishing skills when finalising the playing XI for the series opener.
India’s Likely Playing XI for 1st T20I:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson/Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
