Tabraiz Shamsi early on, some rain in the middle and Reeza Hendricks in the evening were the factors that helped get the Proteas' summer of cricket off to a flying start.

A washed out day of cricket in Durban on Sunday was followed by more fear of showers on a cloudy Gqeberha Tuesday.

But enough time for a game, albeit a shortened one, presented a treat for the St George's faithful.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl, with Shamsi (1/18) making a mark when it mattered it most in the middle overs.

Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill both departed without scoring, but the post-powerplay rescue from Suryakumar Yadav (56) and Rinku Singh (68) turned things around quickly.

Despite Rinku going unbeaten, Shamsi's dismissal of the captain made all the difference before Gerald Coetzee contained the lower order with 3/32.

India's 180/7 in 19.3 overs was followed by rain that only enhanced the batting deck, with the hosts' target reduced to 152 off 15 overs.

Hendricks set the tone at the top, with 49 off 27 balls. A quick-fire 16 off seven by Matthew Breetzke lightened the load on the middle order, too, with Aiden Markram then starring at one down with 30 off 17.

Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Sharma each struck within the space of nine deliveries to provide one final twist. But Tristan Stubbs and Andile Phehlukwayo held their nerve to get their side over the line with seven balls to spare.

The tour moves to Johannesburg for the final T20 on Thursday before the ODI series gets underway at the Wanderers on Sunday.