The South African side decided to bowl first against India in the series-opener. The match in Durban was washed out without a toss, but in Gqeberha, the weather improved enough for play to begin. Aiden Markam, who won the toss, chose to give his bowlers first use of the conditions.
South Africa chose not to include left-arm seamer Nandre Burger, instead sticking with familiar players. Matthew Breetzke was confirmed to partner Reeza Hendricks at the top of the order, with Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Tristan Stubbs also in the lineup. Marco Jansen and Andile Phehlulwayo made the XI, including two allrounders and only one spinner – Tabraiz Shamsi.
India chose Shubman Gill over Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is ill – at the top of the order. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi or Deepak Chahar were not included, with Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar picked instead. Suryakumar Yadav, standing in as captain, was relaxed about the toss and the team’s composition, focusing on the enjoyment of the game. The playing XIs for both teams were confirmed as follows:
South Africa: 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Matthew Breetzke, 3 Aiden Markam, 4 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Lizaad Williams, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Mukesh Kumar
