The Proteas won the toss and opted to bat, with captain Faf Du Plessis taking a gutsy approach in response to consecutive losses to England and Bangladesh.
South Africa have never opened a World Cup with three consecutive defeats and faced a severe test of their injury-hit resources against much-fancied India.
The veteran paceman joined fellow seamer Lungi Ngidi on the sidelines, leaving the Proteas struggling for bowling options.
Du Plessis picked both Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi in a bold twin spin attack, while India were hoping their delayed start to the tournament would allow them to ease their way into proceedings.
Who will prevail on Wednesday? Catch the live updates below.
