Opening T20I India vs. vs South Africa The series at the Barabati Stadium witnessed a moment of pure bowling brilliance Akhar Patel The South African Kayaker was rejected Aiden Markram with a surprising delivery. His dismissal off the first ball of the six overs was one of the standouts in the victory that India commanded.
Axar Patel creates a beauty to raise Aiden Markram’s stumps
South Africa were looking to rebuild their innings when they struck against Markram Axar, chasing a competitive Indian total. What followed was a textbook example of left-handed precision and subtle variation. AXAR, a square delivery aimed at middle and leg, slanted, with almost no room to manoeuvre. Instead of turning, he slid quickly and hit Markram, who was pushing back as he tried to direct the ball towards leg.
But the South African captain got the line and pace wrong. Beaten on the inside edge, Markram looked incredulous enough to square the ball. Akhar’s celebration reflected the importance of what happened when the crowd appreciated the perfectly executed delivery.
Here is the video:
Spinners do the trick 🪄
Akhar Patel 🤝 Varun Chakravarthy #Teamindia batting on the wickets in cuttack 🔢
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/tiemfwcnph #Indvsa | @Akshar2026 | @chakaravarthy29 | @Idfcfirstbank pic.twitter.com/hjg7nukcdv
– BCCI (@bcci) December 9, 2025
Read: Fans erupt as Hardik Pandya to highlight India over South Africa in first T20I
Hardik Pandya, India commanding the win
India opened the five-match T20I series with a dominant performance, cruising Hardik PandyaExplosive shots to control after a concussion is taken. With most batsmen struggling to find rhythm, Pandya’s counter-attacking fade turned India’s total from a potentially parallel score to a highly competitive one.
In which the Indian attack dismantled South Africa’s top order into bowling efforts, bowling efforts and Quinton de KockTristan stumpsMarkram and David Miller could not establish any foundation for the visitors. Dewald brevis Under constant pressure, a fielder tried to follow up with an effort, but wickets fell around him and, rising, South Africa never backed down and were bowled out for just 74 in the end.
Read: IND VS SA: Fano stream as India’s Sanju Samson in India’s first T20I against South Africa
