India will step into the South Africa T20I series with a renewed sense of completeness as Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya return to action, restoring both stability and star power to the reigning world champions. The five-match contest begins in Cuttack on Tuesday, marking the start of India’s formal build-up to the home T20 World Cup, starting February 7.

As captain Suryakumar Yadav pointed out on the eve of the series opener, the defending champions started their preparations long back, and enter this phase with a clear roadmap defined roles, refined combinations and locked in a core group.

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Since lifting the T20 World Cup last year with eight successive wins, India have extended their dominance to 26 victories from 30 matches, including a seven-match unbeaten run during t

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