Match overview

India beat South Africa by 101 runs in the fourth T20I of the 2025 series at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on 9 December 2025. India posted 175/6 from their 20 overs, then bowled South Africa out for just 74 in reply. The margin was emphatic: South Africa's chase effectively ended when they reached the halfway stage at 74 for ten wickets. Hardik Pandya was named Player of the Match for his contribution across both disciplines. South Africa had won the toss and chosen to field, a familiar tactic at this ground, but India's batting made that decision look costly inside the first few overs of the second innings.

India's innings was built on a steady powerplay and a dominant middle phase. They scored 40/2 in the first six overs, then accelerated to add 81 runs for 3 wickets between overs 7 and 15. The death overs produced another 54, leaving South Africa a target that proved well beyond them on the evening.

South Africa's reply started with some urgency, reaching 45 in the powerplay, but the cost was steep: 3 wickets gone by the end of over six. The middle overs became a procession. South Africa lost 7 wickets for 29 runs between overs 7 and 15, and the innings ended long before the death phase yielded a single delivery.

Venue and conditions

Barabati Stadium has hosted 43 T20 matches. The average first-innings score of 182 indicates this is a ground that generally rewards batting, and India's 175/6 came in slightly under that mark, suggesting the pitch offered some assistance to the bowlers. The average second-innings score of 152 provides useful context: a target of 176 was always likely to test South Africa given the historical attrition rate for chasing sides.

Powerplay runs average 45 at the venue, which aligns exactly with what South Africa scored in theirs. Death overs average 42 runs per innings, though South Africa never reached that phase. Toss-winners elect to field on 74% of occasions at Barabati, a clear signal that the surface tends to firm up and spin more as the match progresses. The chase success rate of 53% makes this a closer-run venue than South Africa's eventual margin might suggest, but their collapse in the middle overs removed any possibility of testing that average.

Spin and seam variation in the middle overs have historically been decisive at Cuttack. The collapse South Africa suffered across overs 7 to 15 reflects a pattern the venue has demonstrated repeatedly across domestic and international T20 cricket.

How to watch

India vs South Africa T20I matches are broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Live and on-demand streaming is available through Sky Go for existing subscribers and via NOW TV on a day or monthly pass for those without a full Sky package. Highlights packages are usually available on the Sky Sports website and app shortly after the close of play.

With the time difference between the UK and India (IST is GMT+5:30), evening matches in Cuttack typically start at around 14:00 GMT. Fans wanting to follow ball-by-ball should check Sky Sports' online coverage or international cricket scorecard services for live updates.

Recent form

India's form across their last five meetings with South Africa in this series showed three wins and two losses, with the sequence running W-L-W-L-L heading into Cuttack. The 101-run win here represents their most comprehensive result in that stretch. South Africa's corresponding run read L-W-L-W-W before this match, meaning they came in having won two on the bounce. That context makes India's performance in Cuttack more significant: South Africa entered with momentum, and India responded with their most complete display of the series.

The head-to-head across all 118 meetings leans slightly towards India at 60 wins to 50, with 8 no-results. Their most recent meetings before this series included a South Africa win by 76 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium in 2026 and an India win by 9 wickets at Vizag in 2025, underlining how volatile this rivalry can be. South Africa's next opportunity to respond will come in the following fixture of this series, where their top order will need to address the middle-overs frailty that proved so damaging at Barabati.