NEW DELHI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav was all smiles after his team produced a commanding all-round performance to crush South Africa by 101 runs in the opening T20I of the five-match series in Cuttack, praising both the fighting spirit of his batters and the discipline shown by his bowlers. Suryakumar admitted he wasn't fully confident at the toss after being asked to bat first South Africa skipper Aiden Markram. "I told at the toss that we were 50-50, but very happy to bat first," he said at the post-match presentation. His uncertainty seemed justified early on, as India slipped to 48 for 3 on a tacky surface. But what followed was a remarkable recovery. An emphatic win in the #INDvSA T20I series opener 🥳#TeamIndia register a 1⃣0⃣1⃣-run victory in Cuttack to go 1⃣-0⃣ up 🙌Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/tiemfwcNPh@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/mw3oxC5AHw — BCCI (@BCCI) December 9, 2025 Hardik Pandya's explosive unbeaten half-century (59 off 28 balls) set the tone, while Axar Patel and Tilak Varma steadied the innings with crucial contributions. Jitesh Sharma's late cameo further lifted India to a strong 175/6 - a total that exceeded their expectations. "The way Hardik batted, Axar batted, Tilak batted, and in the end Jitesh coming in, chipping in and doing his role, I think it was very important. At first, we thought we'd get to 160, but then 175 was unbelievable," Surya said. He highlighted the depth of India's batting lineup, noting that with seven to eight capable batters, someone was always ready to rescue the team. "There will be days when 2-3 batters won't have their day, but the others will cover it up... That's how T20 cricket goes, and that's how we want everyone to play - fearless and enjoying their batting." History made! Jasprit Bumrah becomes first Indian to achieve this iconic bowling record The bowlers then backed up the batters' efforts with a ruthless display. Suryakumar lauded Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah for setting the tone with the new ball. He also praised Hardik Pandya, who bowled with control while managing his workload on return from injury. "The way he bowled, I'm very happy with it," he said. India's surge in the middle overs - scoring nearly 90 runs between overs 7 and 15 - and a strong finish in the death overs proved decisive. Combined with disciplined bowling and multiple options at his disposal, Suryakumar believed the total of 175 was more than competitive. "Batting first, recovering from 48 for 3 to get to 175 was really commendable. The way we bowled, the amount of options we had - I think 175 was quite decent," he concluded, pleased with the perfect start to the series.