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Earlier in the game, India faced an early setback with Abhishek Sharma's dismissal, but Sanju Samson's aggressive knock kept them on the attack. Supported by Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, India seemed poised for a 230-240 total. However, South Africa turned the tide as Keshav Maharaj's crucial breakthrough slowed the scoring, setting the tone for the rest of the South African attack to wrestle back control and restricting India to 202 runs. Gerald Coetzee stood out with the ball, picking up three key wickets, while it was Sanju Samson’s magnificent knock of 107 from just 50 deliveries that defined India’s innings with the bat.

However, the Indian spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi cast a relentless web around South Africa’s middle order, triggering a collapse that the hosts had desperately hoped to avoid. From a relatively stable position at 86/3, South Africa suddenly found themselves reeling at 93/7, as the Indian spinners spun the game decisively in their favour. The Proteas tail managed to provide some late fireworks to briefly entertain the crowd. Among them, Gerald Coetzee’s quickfire cameo of 23 runs off just 11 balls stood out, offering a flash of resistance and spirit. However, the effort was not enough to stave off the inevitable. Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi got three wickets each while Avesh Khan took two and Arshdeep Singh scalped one. South Africa were eventually bundled out for 141 runs, handing India a commanding victory in the first game.

Chasing a challenging target of 203, South Africa started with promising intent but suffered early blows, losing their top three wickets within the Powerplay for 49 runs, a less-than-ideal scenario for any chase of this magnitude. Despite the setbacks, their attacking approach kept the scoring rate afloat, preventing it from slipping too far behind. Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller then took on the task of steadying the innings, digging in to rebuild South Africa's momentum. By the halfway mark, the duo’s calculated efforts had guided their team to 78/3, providing a glimmer of hope for a resurgence and setting the stage for a potential turnaround later in the innings.

India deliver a commanding performance to seal the first game with a thumping 61-run victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Their batting display was nothing short of relentless after which the spinners then took center stage, weaving their magic rounding off a truly clinical performance. This win extends India’s unbeaten run at Durban, emphasizing their dominance at the venue. Meanwhile, South Africa's struggles persist, with only one victory in their last five T20Is since the 2024, T20 World Cup finale. They'll need to regroup and find answers quickly. For now, India stands tall, setting the benchmark high with this emphatic win!

OUT! BOWLED'EM! DONE AND DUSTED!  Avesh Khan steams in and serves this full, on off, shaping in, Keshav Maharaj goes for another wild hoick across the line but misses it completely. The ball goes through and clatters into the off pole. INDIA WIN BY 61 RUNS!

OUT! BOWLED'EM! DONE AND DUSTED!  Avesh Khan steams in and serves this full, on off, shaping in, Keshav Maharaj goes for another wild hoick across the line but misses it completely. The ball goes through and clatters into the off pole. INDIA WIN BY 61 RUNS!

Overpitched and on middle, Nqabayomzi Peter drills it to long on for one.

FOUR! Nice shot! Short of a length and on middle, Nqabayomzi Peter stands tall and swats it straight past the bowler and to the fence for a boundary.

DROPPED! A good effort though! Avesh Khan bangs this into the pitch and on middle, Keshav Maharaj pulls it aerially towards deep square leg. Ramandeep Singh covers good ground this left, dives ahead and gets both hands on it, but it just spills it out when his hands hit the ground, He is gutted there. The batters take one.

Swing and a miss! Back of a length and around off, Keshav Maharaj swings wildly across the line only to connect with thin air.

Another low full toss, outside off, Nqabayomzi Peter squeezes it to point.

Nqabayomzi Peter is the last batter to walk in for South Africa!

OUT! RUN OUT! Another one bites the dust! Fuller and on off, Keshav Maharaj drives it straight to extra covers and sets off for the run. There is a bit of confusion between the batters and both of them gets stranded halfway down the track. Suryakumar Yadav picks up, aims and hits bullseye at the batter's end with Gerald Coetzee nowhere near the crease. India just one wicket away from the win now!

OUT! RUN OUT! Another one bites the dust! Fuller and on off, Keshav Maharaj drives it straight to extra covers and sets off for the run. There is a bit of confusion between the batters and both of them gets stranded halfway down the track. Suryakumar Yadav picks up, aims and hits bullseye at the batter's end with Gerald Coetzee nowhere near the crease. India just one wicket away from the win now!

Excellent effort in the deep! A full toss around off, Keshav Maharaj thumps it wide of long off where Ramandeep Singh runs to his left and puts in a dive to make a spectacular stop. Two runs taken.

Good change of pace! Good length and outside off, angling away, Keshav Maharaj gets deceived by the lack of pace and misses.

A low full toss, on off, Gerald Coetzee comes forward and cue-ends it towards long off for a run.