New Delhi: India couldn’t have asked for a more emphatic start to the five-match T20I series against South Africa. The hosts produced a near-perfect all-round performance to register the biggest home T20 win against the Proteas by 101 runs. At the heart of it was none other than Hardik Pandya whose bat and ball combined to script a statement result.

After losing the toss, Men in Blue were asked to bat first on a fresh red-soil surface and they were wobbling early until Pandya took the charge. The pitch had enough in it for the bowlers and South Africa’s attack made the most of it. Lungi Ngidi’s variations caused problems straightaway as Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav departed within the first seven overs. At that stage, India were searching for momentum and stabilit

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