Haze, dew and a fresh test awaits India, South Africa in Mullanpur

Mullanpur is set to host its maiden men's international cricket match, and the setting couldn't be more perfect. There's the December chill in the air, the finalists of the last T20 World Cup are facing off, and yet what's to be expected from Punjab's latest international venue is as unclear as Chandigarh's air itself, hazy with smog.

The venue played host to some thrilling contests in this year's IPL, but offered a wide spectrum of output: one where teams piled up 200-plus totals as well as played out low-scoring thrillers, peppered with some middling scores. Heading into the contest after having encountered a surprise test from Cuttack's surface, there will be as much of a mystery waiting for India and South Africa on Thursday.

Even as the result will be of little consequence for the two teams, their preparation for next year's World Cup - which is likely to be played on high-scoring surfaces - could be in for another test. It's not just for the batters to adapt. With the hazy air, and dew likely to settle in, even the fielders - especially in the second innings - are expected to come under a stern test.

While the result or the performances in the series opener are unlikely to require a deep reading, amidst all the combinations that could be tested, and new plans that could be trialled, there would be some concerns that would need addressing for both teams.

For India, even as they will take heart from Hardik Pandya's fine knock on his return to international cricket, and the batting depth seeming to validate its need in Cuttack, another poor outing for Suryakumar Yadav would be hard to ignore. The series has started with another forgettable game for the Indian captain, which would be easy to dismiss given the conditions in the opener. But the lengthy stretch of it would be concerning for the hosts. He has averaged 15.07 in 16 T20Is this year, at a strike rate that doesn't quite flatter his case.

A critical cog to India's plans, Suryakumar return to form is keenly awaited. And the team wouldn't mind having to find their answers as early as Thursday, even if it is somewhere hard to trace in Chandigarh's foggy air.

When: Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:00 PM IST

Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

What to expect: Some fog, some dew, and some advantage to the chasing team - even as four of the six IPL matches played at the venue was won by the team batting first.

Team News

India: There are no reported injuries, and there would be a scope to experiment with their options.

Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa: The visitors might look to retain their combination, allowing them more time to get accustomed to the conditions

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

Did you know?

- Hardik Pandya is one wicket away from becoming the third India Men's bowler to pick 100 T20I wickets, after Arshdeep Singh (107) and Jasprit Bumrah (101)

- If he gets one more wicket, Pandya will become the first seamer to achieve a double of 1000-plus runs and 100-plus wickets in Men's T20Is. Three spin bowling all-rounders: Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, and Sikandar Raza have achieved the feat previously.

What they said:

"Nowadays in T20 cricket, there's not much time to look around and absorb... We'll have brief conversations tomorrow. You don't want to dive too deep into things like this. You almost just want to draw a line through it and stick to the positive ways of this format" - Aiden Markram

"With 7-8 batters, there will be days when 2-3 batters won't have their day, but then the other 4 batters will cover it up and they did cover it up today. Maybe in the next game you'll see someone else covering it up. That's how T20 cricket goes, and that's how we want everyone to play. We want everyone to be fearless and enjoy their batting." - Suryakumar Yadav