Cuttack: All roads lead to the Barabati Stadium as India take on South Africa in the first of a five-match T20 International series on Tuesday evening.
Fans in the blue India jersey started queuing up several hours before the 7 pm start.
The Barabati Stadium will see many firsts.
For the first time, a red-soil pitch will be used for a match at this venue, while a special chemical will be used to spray on the field to prevent dew from setting in.
There’s more.
Suryakumar Yadav aka SKY-led Team India will take the field in a new T20I jersey which will be used for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The jersey, unveiled by Tilak Varma and 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma during the Raipur ODI last week, features two stars above the BCCI logo to signify India’s World Cup titles in 2007 and 2024.
The jersey in deep blue has vertical darker stripes running down the front, with orange panels on the sides.
The collar has colours of the Indian Flag, while the front displays the Adidas logo, BCCI emblem and the name of sponsor Apollo Tyres,
Speaking during a photoshoot ahead of the series-opener at Barabati, the players including SKY and comeback man Hardik Pandya expressed the desire to add one more star in a couple of months’ time.
New threads 💙
Same dream 🏆
Eyes on the T20I series opener ⭐️💪 #TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/0Ydytkx2bH
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 9, 2025
But first things first, SKY & Co. will look to start on a winning note at Cuttack tonight, in the build-up to the World Cup.