The South Africa national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline speaks of a rivalry speaks volumes about the rivalries between these two cricketing world giants across all formats—Tests, One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). As of 2024, this remains one of the most volatile rivalries, with both sides eyeing dominance in the international cricket arena.
This article is about the history of the rivalry between South Africa and India through key moments, series victories, outstanding individual performances, and critical matches that have shaped this contest.
South Africa vs India: The Inception of a Rivalry
Early Days: South Africa Returns to World Cricket (1991)
The South Africa national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline officially began in 1991. When years of apartheid took South Africa away, they came back like a bomb, in the guise of a series with India. India invited South Africa for three one-day matches, which was a comeback and the rise of a new rivalry.
First ODI: 10/11/1991
Venue: India
Result: India won 2-1
Key Players: Kapil Dev (India), Kepler Wessels (South Africa)
First Test Series (1992-93): India visit to South Africa.
The first Test series between South Africa vs India came in the winter of 1992-93. That was an important event for South African cricket, as they invited India for a four-match series for the first time since the whites’ return to internationals.
First Test: 13/11/1192
Test Series Result: South Africa won 1-0 (3 draws)
Venue: South Africa
Main Players: Allan Donald (South Africa), Mohammad Azharuddin (India)
Popular by the nickname white lightning– Allan Donald-led bowling attack of South Africa was too good for India, who struggled to adapt to the tough South African conditions. Though three of the four Tests ended in draws, South Africa won the second Test in Port Elizabeth and achieved their first-ever series win against India.
T20 Clash Begin: India vs South Africa (IND vs SA)
The first T20 match between (India and South Africa) was played in 2006.
First T20: 01/12/2006
Result: India Won by 6 wkts
Venue: South Africa
Main Players: Graeme Smith (SA), Virender Sehwag (IND)
South Africa National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline: Key Matches & Historical Moments
1999: ICC Cricket World Cup Showdown (ODI)
It was a crucial World Cup game between the two teams, with South Africa needing to overhaul 253 by India under the captaincy of Jacques Kallis. South Africa carried their good form against India in the ODIs.
May 15, 1999
Result: SA won by 4 wkts
Key player: Jacques Kallis 96 (128)
Venue: South Africa
2000 ICC Knock Out Trophy: A Critical ODI Encounter
Another key event in the South Africa national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline was when both of these teams encountered each other over One-Day Internationals. One such match was during the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy, famously known as the Champions Trophy, held in Nairobi, Kenya.
October 13, 2000
Result: India Won by 95 runs
Key players: Sourav Ganguly (India), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
Venue: Nairobi (GYM)
T20I Rivalry: Short Format, Big Battles
In addition to their clashes in Test and ODI cricket, the South Africa national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline in T20 Internationals. One of the most memorable T20 encounters between South Africa and India came during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, India defeated South Africa in a crucial group-stage match, knocking the Proteas out of the tournament.
India won the inaugural T20 World Cup, but this victory over South Africa was a key moment in their journey.
September 20, 2007
Venue: Durban, South Africa
Result: India won by 37 runs
Key Players: Rohit Sharma (India), RP Singh (India)
2010-11 Test Series: The Battle for Supremacy
The defining moment in the Test rivalry between India and South Africa came when India toured South Africa in 2010-11. Both teams confronted each other when India was No.1 in test cricket and South Africa in good form of cricket.
Result: Drawn 1-1
Key players: Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Dale Steyn (South Africa)
Venue: SA
A series of tough battles and competitive cricket, the way these two teams contesting each other in cricket. In Centurion, South Africa had disposed of India by an innings, led by Dale Steyn’s bowling and Jacques Kallis’s 201* in their only innings.
In 2018, India won their first Test series in South Africa.
An important milestone in the cricketing history of South Africa vs. India was achieved during India’s tour of South Africa in 2018. Although India has won the ODI in South Africa several times, this was the first time they secured a Test victory in SA.
Result: South Africa won 2-1
Key Players: Virat Kohli (India), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Kagiso Rabada (South
Africa)
Venue: SA
South Africa won the series 2-1, but India’s win in the third Test in Johannesburg was significant. India defended a target of 241 on a tricky pitch, with Mohammed Shami taking 5 wickets to dismiss South Africa for 177.
2024: T20 World Cup
This is the rivalry between the South Africa national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline and their national cricket teams which is so much fiercer and memorable, taking competitions and games to an unforgettable level. Both have lifted one another to produce those memorable matches and as of 2024, this remains an ongoing tug-of-war.
Result: India won by 7 runs
Key Players: Virat Kohli (IND), Axar Patel (IND), Heinrich Klaseen (SA)
Venue: West Indies
Also Read: WI vs SA Head to Head in Test || IND vs ZIM Head to Head in Test
