After a scintillating display with the ball, India have coasted their way to a relatively straightforward victory against the Proteas in the first T20 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh produced a swing-bowling masterclass for ripping apart the South African top order, reducing them to a staggering 9 for 5 early in the Powerplay.

Aiden Markram and Wayne Parnell managed to temporarily stop the bleeding with a shaky 33-run stand, but the introduction of spin applied the squeeze and dried up the runs once again.

However, a sprightly 41 from 35 from Keshav Maharaj managed to help save face and cross 100 despite a horrific beginning.

It was far from enough, but for a short time, it seemingly was something to bowl at. The pace trio of Rabada, Parnell, and Nortje bowled brilliantly in the Powerplay for India, picking up the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

But the early inroads were the only highlight for SA. KL Rahul would eventually overcome a very sluggish start, and Suryakumar Yadav put together another gem of a knock in very trying conditions to help the hosts make it over the line with nothing to worry about.

India have secured the early honours, and this defeat has been pretty demoralizing for the Proteas. The next game is on Sunday in Guwahati. Will India bag the series with a game to spare, or do the South Africans have other plans? Stay tuned.

SA 106/8 in 20 overs
IND 110/2 in 16.4 overs