<p>South Africa’s tour of India has been fairly positive up to this point; they won the Test Series (2-0) and were competitive across the three One-Day Internationals.</p> <p>Now, they’ll be looking to remain competitive and finish their tour in the strongest way possible as the two nations engage in a five-match T20I series.</p> <p>What can we expect to see happen when the first one takes place at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday, December 10, at 00:30 AEDT.&nbsp;Read on for our expert India vs South Africa 1st T20I betting predictions!</p> <h2>India v South Africa 1st T20I Cricket Betting Preview</h2> <p>Given how the limited-overs series went, there’s fair reason to assume that we’ll see a competitive Twenty20 series played out between these two nations.</p> <p>The first game can be extremely important for one team to build momentum, but do the visitors have much of a chance? India are ranked the world’s #1 team in international T20 cricket. They are the clear leaders in this form of cricket, boasting significantly more ranking points than second-placed Australia.</p> <p>South Africa aren’t exactly poor at this form of the game, though. They rank fifth in the world, just below New Zealand and above the West Indies. In fact, they’ve typically been very good when they have faced the Indians on their soil. They have won more than they have lost in away T20Is.</p> <p>South Africa’s notable away successes include chasing 200+ in India and the dominant nine‑wicket win in Bengaluru in 2019, when they restricted India to 134/9 (adjusted figure in final card) and cruised to victory. In addition, they also won back‑to‑back matches in Dharamsala and Cuttack in 2015 to take that series 2–0, which set the tone for their strong T20I away reputation in India.</p> <p>South Africa maintains a perfect 2-0 record in T20Is at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack; both victories against India came in low-to-par scoring games.​</p> <ul> <li>5 October 2015 — SA beat India by 6 wickets. India were bowled out for 92; SA reached 96/4 in 17.1 overs.</li> <li>12 June 2022 — SA won by 4 wickets (with 10 balls remaining), chasing down 148/6.</li> </ul> <h2>India v South Africa 1st T20I Cricket Betting Predictions</h2> <p>Based on how well South Africa have been playing on their tour of India and how well they have performed in the past at Cuttack in T20I competition, we predict they will edge the world’s best side in this format on Wednesday.</p> <p>But if you are looking for a touch of value, look at innings totals. We<strong> predict another low-scoring game</strong>, with the<strong> par score typically being 140-150 </strong>on this pitch. It is often a dry and slightly abrasive pitch, with spinners and cutters often benefitting in the middle overs.</p> <p>Batters can also struggle when at the crease in this one due to the uneven bounce that the pitch has formed a reputation for, while the outfield is also typically slow.</p>