India National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline is a record of fierce rivalry, respect, and unforgettable cricket. Since the reincarnation of South African cricket in the early 1990’s both teams have been engaged in an intense, fierce competition on the field. Every game between the two teams demonstrates different styles, exciting challenges, and drama that is at a whole new level because of South Africa’s vast pace and power, and India’s fantastic spin prowess. Both teams have had dramatic memories from clashes over the years, whether in World Cup battles, gripping Test matches, or in action-packed ODIs. Iconic players have found their best performances in this rivalry, whether it be on quick, bouncy South African pitches or India’s twisty, turning spinning pitches. This journey demonstrates some of the iconic wins, tears of despair, and everything in between that made India vs South Africa one of the greatest rivalries in all of cricket, with two dynamic teams.
Upcoming ODIs, T20I and Test Series: South Africa tour of India, 2025 Schedule
Test Matches Schedule India vs South Africa
| 1st Test Date: November 14, Friday – November 18, Tuesday Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata Time: 09:30 AM LOCAL |
| 2nd Test Date: November 22, Saturday – November 26, Wednesday Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati Time: 09:30 AM LOCAL |
ODI Matches Schedule India vs South Africa
| 1st ODI Date: November 30, Sunday Venue: JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi Time: 01:30 PM LOCAL |
| 2nd ODI Date: December 03, Wednesday Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Time: 01:30 PM LOCAL |
| 3rd ODI Date: December 06, Saturday Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Time: 01:30 PM LOCAL |
T20I Matches Schedule India vs South Africa
| 1st T20I Date: December 09, Tuesday Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack Time: 07:00 PM LOCAL |
| 2nd T20I Date: December 11, Thursday Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh Time: 07:00 PM LOCAL |
| 3rd T20I Date: December 14, Sunday Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala Time: 07:00 PM LOCAL |
| 4th T20I Date: December 17, Wednesday Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow Time: 07:00 PM LOCAL |
| 5th T20I Date: Dec 19, Friday Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Time: 07:00 PM LOCAL |
1990s to 2005: Initial Encounters:
1991-1992 India vs South Africa
Both teams met for their first ODI series in India. With this series, after 21 years of being banned due to apartheid, South Africa made a comeback in International cricket. For the three-match ODI series, South Africa was invited by India. India won by 2-1. South Africa lost 2 matches to India, but their return to international cricket plays a significant role in the rivalry between the two teams. Sachin Tendulkar, Praveen Amre, Kris Srikkanth, and Sanjay Manjrekar are some key players who scored a half-century in the series. Sanjay Manjrekar (105 runs) and Ravi Shastri (109 runs) each struck an amazing century in the third ODI encounter. On the other hand, from the South African team, Kepler Wessels, Peter Kirsten, and Adrian Kuiper showed their exceptional batting skills and scored a half-century in the match.
1991-1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup
South Africa dominated India and won by six wickets in the 32nd World Cup match played in Adelaide. Peter Kirsten 84 off 86 and Andrew Hudson 53 off 73 helped their team to win this match. Whereas, from the Indian team, Mohammad Azharuddin scored a half-century in the match by scoring 79 runs.
1992-1993 South Africa vs India
India and South Africa met for their first test series in 1992. For the first time after being into International cricket, South Africa invited India for the 4-match test series. South Africa edged India and won by 1-0. The other 3 matches ended in a draw between the two teams. Allan Donald, also known as “White Lightning,” took 5 wickets in the 3rd test match and won the Man of the Match title for his fast and precise bowling. Hansie Cronje, a great batsman of the South African team, scored a century with 135 runs in the match. South Africa won their first Test series against India thanks to their impressive bowling and batting performances, despite India’s best attempts.
1996-1997 India vs South Africa test series
The 1996-1997 test series was the most interesting and thrilling series between the two teams. For the first 3 test matches, South Africa toured India, and for the last 3 matches of the series, India toured South Africa for the game. It is the longest test series between the two teams, consisting of 6 games. South Africa defeated India by the scoreline of 3-2. The final test series match finished in a tie. India thrashed South Africa by 280 runs in Kanpur in the third test match of the series and by 64 runs in Ahmedabad in the opening match.
1999 ICC World Cup
In the 2nd match of the ICC World Cup held at Hove, South Africa defeated India and won the match by 4 wickets. India set South Africa a target of 254 runs in 50 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. In the second innings, when South Africa came to bat, they easily chased the target of India and scored 254 runs in 47 overs. Thanks to Jacques Kallis’s exceptional batting of 96 off 128, and Lance Klusener’s fast-medium swing bowling, who took 3 wickets. Jacques Kallis was awarded the Man of the Match for his excellent batting in the match.
1999-2000 India vs South Africa
In the 1999-2000 ODI series, India edged South Africa by winning 3-2. Ajay Jadeja, Sourav Ganguly, and Sachin Tendulkar are the key players from India who contributed heavily. On the other hand, Gary Kirsten, Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher, and Lance Klusener are the key players from the South African team.
2000-2001 ICC Knock-Out
India won the 2nd Semi-Final match of the tournament by 95 runs. India scored 295/6 in 50 overs. Sourav Ganguly, captain and the opening batsman of the Indian team, hit a century with 141 runs in the match. He won the Man of the Match title for his commendable performance in the match.
2002-2003 ICC Champions Trophy
India once again dominated South Africa in the 1st Semi-Final match of the Champions Trophy and won the match by 10 runs. Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh scored an unbeaten half-century in the match. Whereas from the South African team, Herschelle Gibbs hit a century with 116 off 119. Virender Sehwag was awarded the Man of the Match title for scoring 59 off 58 and take 3 wicket, showing his incredible batting skills.
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2006 to 2016: Era of Tough Rivalry and the Memorable Matches:
2006-2007 South Africa vs India
The first Twenty20 International between the two teams took place at Johannesburg’s Wanderers Stadium. India secured a win over South Africa by 6 wickets in this match. Thanks to Dinesh Karthik’s phenomenal batting, who hit 31 off 28 and contributed heavily in the win of his team. He also won the Man of the Match title for his fabulous performance in the match.
2006-2007 South Africa vs India
India clinched a victory over South Africa by 123 runs in the first test match of the 2006-2007 test match series. They defeated the Proteas on South African soil. They won the game by chasing Proteas off 84 and 278 and scoring 249 and 236. Thanks to Sreesanth’s exciting bowling and solid batting, it was a big moment. Despite South Africa winning the series 2-1, India’s victory in Johannesburg was a key highlight of the series.
2007 ICC World Twenty20
India beat South Africa and won the 24th match of the tournament at Durban by 37 runs. It is a victory that boosts their confidence and helped them clinch the inaugural T20 World Cup title. Rohit Sharma scored a half-century in the match and also won the Man of the Match title for his excellent performance.
2010-2011 South Africa vs India
In the 2010-11 test series in South Africa, the tussle between the two teams is very strong. The series ended with 1-1. Both teams won 1 match each, and the third match of the test series ended in a draw. In the first test match, Hashim Amla (140 runs) and AB de Villiers (129 runs) each scored an incredible century, and Jacques Kallis scored 201 off 270 to record a double century. Sachin Tendulkar hit a century in Cape Town with 146 runs, and Jacques Kallis’s strong performances throughout the series are some of the memorable moments.
2011 ICC World Cup
In the 29th match of the 2011 World Cup held at Nagpur, South Africa dominated India and won the match by 3 wickets. South Africa scored 300 runs in 49.4 overs. Sachin Tendulkar hit a century in the match with 111 off 101, and Virender Sehwag hit a half-century with 73 runs. From the South African team, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, and AB de Villiers are the key players to score a half-century in the match.
2013 ICC Champions Trophy
India defeated the Proteas by 26 runs in the opening ICC Champions Trophy match. India scored 331 runs in 50 overs. South Africa made their full effort to beat the target of the Indian team but managed to score only 305 runs in 50 overs and lost the match. Shikhar Dhawan scored a century – 114 off 94. He also won the Man of the Match title for his commendable batting performance.
2015 ICC World Cup
India clinched a victory over South Africa in the 13th match of the 2015 ICC World Cup by 130 runs. The match was held at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, in which India scored 307/7 in 50 overs. Once again, Shikhar Dhawan hit a century with 137 runs in the match. Ajinkya Rahane hit a half-century with 79 runs in the match. Shikhar Dhawan was awarded the Man of the Match for his commendable performance.
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2017 to Recent Matches:
2017 ICC Champions Trophy
In the 11th match of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, India dominated South Africa and won the match by 8 wickets. Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India won this match. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan are the two key players to score a half-century in the match.
2017-2018 South Africa vs India
India toured South Africa for the 2017-18 test series. South Africa dominated India by winning 2-1. India won the 3rd match of the test series. It is a tough series for the Indian team. However, India showed great spirit, with Virat Kohli’s century in Centurion and Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive bowling standing out.
2019 ICC World Cup
In the 8th match of the 2019 ICC World Cup, India won the match by 6 wickets. One more time Proteas have to face a defeat in the World Cup. Rohit Sharma hit a century in the match with 122 runs and won the Man of the Match award for his phenomenal batting.
2022 India vs South Africa
In 2022, India hosted South Africa for the T20I series. It is the longest T20I series in cricket history. In this T20I series, both teams have a strong competition. It reflects the evenly matched nature of both teams.
2023 ICC World Cup
India demonstrated their total dominance against the Proteas in the 37th World Cup match, which was played in Kolkata, winning by 243 runs. It is an iconic win for the Indian team with such a big number. South Africa scored 83 runs in 27.1 overs, which is the lowest score of the Proteas in cricket history. Virat Kohli hit a century in the match with 101 off 121 and won the Man of the Match award.
2024 ICC T20 World Cup
One of the most notable games in the rivalry between South Africa and India is the 2024 T20I World Cup final, held at Barbados. India defeated South Africa in a nail-biting contest by just 7 runs. Virat Kohli played an impressive innings of 76 runs that helped the team recover from early dismissals. This victory marked India’s second T20 World Cup triumph and was a major highlight for Indian cricket in recent times.
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