South Africa National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline
South Africa National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline
India and South Africa have played each other for over three decades, and the contest has rarely been dull. South African pace and bounce meet Indian batting and spin. Tendulkar, Kallis, Kohli and de Villiers have all had their moments, and the rivalry has produced a match-fixing scandal, a ball-tampering dispute, a 66 all out, a 55 all out, a T20 World Cup final and two historic series wins.
This South Africa vs India cricket timeline covers the men’s rivalry from the first match in November 1991 to the end of the 2025 tour, with a short section on the women’s game. Every series result and scorecard figure below was checked against ESPNcricinfo or Wikipedia. Any series played after December 2025 is not covered here.
Table of Contents
Quick Overview of the Rivalry
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 10 November 1991, ODI in India |
| First Test series | 1992-93 in South Africa (South Africa won 1-0) |
| Trophy | Freedom Trophy, named after Gandhi and Mandela (since 2015-16) |
| Test record (to end of 2025) | 46 Tests: South Africa 20, India 16, drawn 10 |
| Biggest ICC final | 2024 T20 World Cup final, Barbados |
| Biggest Test margins | South Africa by 408 runs (Guwahati 2025); India by an innings and 202 runs (Ranchi 2019) |
| Key South African venues | Wanderers, Kingsmead, Newlands, Centurion, Port Elizabeth |
| Key Indian venues | Eden Gardens, Nagpur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Guwahati |
Complete Series-by-Series Timeline
The table below lists every major bilateral series, with the result in each format.
| Season | Host | Tests | ODIs | T20Is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | India | none | India won 2-1 | none |
| 1992-93 | South Africa | South Africa won 1-0 (4 Tests) | South Africa won 5-2 | none |
| 1996-97 | India | India won 2-1 | India won the Titan Cup final | none |
| 1996-97 | South Africa | South Africa won 2-0 (3rd Test drawn) | South Africa won the tri-series final | none |
| 1999-2000 | India | South Africa won 2-0 | India won 3-2 | none |
| 2001-02 | South Africa | South Africa won 1-0 | Triangular series | none |
| 2006-07 | South Africa | South Africa won 2-1 | South Africa won 4-0 | India won the one-off T20I |
| 2007-08 | India | Drawn 1-1 | none | none |
| 2009-10 | India | Drawn 1-1 | India won 2-1 | none |
| 2010-11 | South Africa | Drawn 1-1 | South Africa won 3-2 | India won the one-off T20I |
| 2013-14 | South Africa | South Africa won 1-0 (2 Tests) | South Africa won 2-0 (one washed out) | none |
| 2015-16 | India | India won 3-0 (4 Tests) | South Africa won 3-2 | South Africa won 2-0 |
| 2017-18 | South Africa | South Africa won 2-1 | India won 5-1 | India won 2-1 |
| 2019-20 | India | India won 3-0 | none | Drawn 1-1 |
| 2021-22 | South Africa | South Africa won 2-1 | South Africa won 3-0 | none |
| 2022 | India | none | none | Drawn 2-2 (5 matches) |
| 2022-23 | India | none | India won 2-1 | India won 2-1 |
| 2023-24 | South Africa | Drawn 1-1 (2 Tests) | India won 2-1 | Drawn 1-1 |
| 2024-25 | South Africa | none | none | India won 3-1 |
| 2025-26 | India | South Africa won 2-0 | India won 2-1 | India won 3-1 |
The Early Years (1991–2000)
1991: South Africa Returns, India Hosts
South Africa’s first official international series after years of isolation was in India in November 1991. It was a three-match ODI series, and the first match, on 10 November 1991, was South Africa’s first ODI. India won the series 2-1, but South Africa took the third match, which gave them their first ODI win.
1992-93: The First Test Series
India toured South Africa for a four-Test series, the first Tests between the two countries. South Africa won 1-0, and the series gave a first look at how hard South African pitches are for touring batters. South Africa also won the ODI series 5-2.
1996-97: Two Series, Two Home Wins
The 1996-97 season is remembered for how decisively home advantage mattered.
In India, the series started with a 64-run win at Ahmedabad, where Javagal Srinath took 6 for 21 as South Africa collapsed for 105 chasing 170. South Africa hit back at Eden Gardens, winning by 329 runs after India fell to 137 chasing 467, and Lance Klusener took 8 for 64 in that second innings. India then won at Kanpur by 280 runs to take the series 2-1.
In South Africa, the result was reversed. At Durban, India made 100 and 66, their lowest completed Test total against South Africa, and lost by 328 runs. Allan Donald took 9 wickets in the match. South Africa won the series 2-0, with the third Test drawn. India scored heavily at Cape Town, with Tendulkar making 169 and Azharuddin a century, but still lost. Donald was Player of the Series.
1999-2000 and the Cronje Scandal
South Africa won the Test series in India 2-0, while India took the ODI series 3-2. Soon afterwards, Delhi Police revealed evidence of match-fixing involving South African captain Hansie Cronje. The scandal led to his life ban and pushed cricket to build much stronger anti-corruption systems.
The 2000s: India Learns to Win Abroad
2000: Nairobi Knockout
At the ICC KnockOut Trophy in Nairobi, India beat South Africa in the quarter-final. It was one of the first signs that India could beat South Africa in a pressure match.
2001-02: Sehwag’s Debut and the Denness Affair
At Bloemfontein, India were 68 for 4 on the first day before Sachin Tendulkar (155) and Virender Sehwag (105 on debut, from 173 balls) added 220 for the fifth wicket. India made 379, but South Africa replied with 563 and won by nine wickets.
The second Test, in Port Elizabeth, was drawn but became infamous. Match referee Mike Denness penalised six Indian players, including a ball-tampering charge against Tendulkar and a one-Test ban for Sehwag. The BCCI refused to play the third Test under Denness. The ICC stripped the Centurion match of Test status, so the series stands as a 1-0 South African win. South Africa won the unofficial match by an innings and 73 runs.
2006-07: India’s First Test Win in South Africa
India had waited 14 years for a Test win in South Africa. At the Wanderers in December 2006, South Africa were bowled out for 84 in the first innings, with Sreesanth taking 5 for 40. India (249 and 236) won by 123 runs, with Laxman making 73 in the second innings and Ganguly an unbeaten 51 in the first. India lost the series 2-1 after defeats at Durban (174 runs) and Cape Town (5 wickets), and the ODI series 4-0.
2007: T20 Cricket Arrives
India won the first T20I between the two sides, at Johannesburg in December 2006. They also beat South Africa in the group stage of the first T20 World Cup in Durban in 2007, a tournament India went on to win.
2007-08: Sehwag’s 319
At Chennai, Virender Sehwag scored 319 in 304 balls as India made 627. The match was drawn, and South Africa won the next Test at Ahmedabad before India won at Kanpur, so the series ended 1-1.
The 2010s: A Closer Contest
2010: Amla, Steyn and Tendulkar’s Double
In February 2010, South Africa won the first Test at Nagpur after Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 253, the highest score by a South African in India. India answered at Kolkata with 643/6 declared, and the two-Test series was drawn 1-1.
In the ODI series, Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score a double century in ODIs at Gwalior. He made 200 not out from 147 balls in India’s 401/3, and India won the series 2-1.
2010-11: A Series That Went Down to Cape Town
South Africa won at Centurion, India won at Durban, and Cape Town was drawn, with Tendulkar making 146. South Africa won the ODIs 3-2, and India won the one-off T20I.
2011 World Cup: The Nagpur Collapse
On 12 March 2011, India were 267 for 1, with Tendulkar making 111 from 101 balls. India then lost nine wickets for 29 runs and were all out for 296. Dale Steyn took 5 for 50, and South Africa chased down 297 with two balls left. Kallis (69), Amla (61) and de Villiers (52) set up the win.
2013-14: Close Calls at the Wanderers
India set South Africa 458 in the first Test, and South Africa finished on 450/7. It remains South Africa’s highest fourth-innings score in a Test. South Africa won the second Test at Durban by 10 wickets to take the series 1-0, and won the ODIs 2-0, with one match washed out.
2015-16: Spin Wins the Freedom Trophy
India won the four-Test series 3-0 on turning pitches, with one Test, at Bengaluru, ending in a draw. India won at Mohali (108 runs), Nagpur (124 runs) and Delhi (337 runs).
South Africa won the white-ball series. In the first T20I at Dharamsala, Rohit Sharma made 106 from 66 balls, but South Africa chased 200 with two balls to spare. South Africa won the ODIs 3-2, including a 214-run win at the Wankhede where they made 438/4. From this series, all bilateral meetings have been played for the Freedom Trophy.
2017-18: Fast Bowlers vs Wrist-Spinners
South Africa won the Test series 2-1, and it was the first series of three or more Tests in which all 40 wickets fell in every match. India won the ODI series 5-1, their first ODI series win in South Africa, and the T20Is 2-1.
2019-20: India’s Home Dominance
India won all three Tests. Rohit Sharma made 176 and 127 at Visakhapatnam in his first Test as an opener, and 212 at Ranchi, where India won by an innings and 202 runs. That was India’s biggest Test win over South Africa. The T20I series was drawn 1-1.
India had also beaten South Africa at the 2019 World Cup in Southampton, chasing 228 with six wickets in hand through Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 122.
The 2020s: Knockouts, Finals and a Historic Test Win
2021-22: South Africa Win the Freedom Trophy
India won the first Test at Centurion by 113 runs, with KL Rahul making 123. South Africa won the next two, at Johannesburg and Cape Town, both by seven wickets. The Wanderers win was South Africa’s first Test win there over India. Keegan Petersen was Player of the Series, and South Africa also won the ODIs 3-0.
2022: Two Series in India
The five-match T20I series in June was drawn 2-2. The September-October series was won by India 2-1 in both T20Is and ODIs. South Africa won the third T20I at Indore by 49 runs, and the first ODI at Lucknow by 9 runs. India won the next two ODIs comfortably, including a 7-wicket win in Delhi after bowling South Africa out for 99, with Kuldeep Yadav taking 4 for 18.
2022 T20 World Cup: Perth
India made 133/9, and South Africa chased it with five wickets in hand. Suryakumar Yadav made 68 for India, and Aiden Markram made 52 for South Africa.
2023 World Cup: Kolkata
On 5 November 2023, India made 326/5, with Virat Kohli scoring 101 not out from 121 balls on his birthday, equalling Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI centuries. Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 33, and South Africa were bowled out for 83, a 243-run defeat.
2023-24: The Shortest Test
The T20I series was drawn 1-1, and India won the ODIs 2-1. In the Tests, South Africa won at Centurion by an innings and 32 runs after Dean Elgar’s 185. At Cape Town, South Africa were bowled out for 55 (Mohammed Siraj 6 for 15), then made 176 in the second innings, and India won by seven wickets inside two days. The series was drawn 1-1.
2024: The T20 World Cup Final
At Barbados on 29 June 2024, India made 176/7, with Virat Kohli scoring 76 off 59 balls. Heinrich Klaasen made 52 from 27 balls to put South Africa ahead in the chase, but India’s bowlers, led by Bumrah (2/18) and Hardik Pandya (3/20), won by 7 runs.
November 2024: A Record T20I Series
India won the four-match T20I series 3-1. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma each made two centuries, and at the Wanderers, India made 283/1 (Samson 109 not out, Tilak Varma 120 not out) and won by 135 runs.
2025-26: South Africa Win in India
South Africa won the Test series 2-0, their first series win in India since 2000. At Kolkata, India were bowled out for 93 chasing 124, and South Africa won by 30 runs. At Guwahati, South Africa made 489, then bowled India out for 140 to win by 408 runs, India’s biggest Test defeat by runs. Simon Harmer took 9 wickets in the match. The result came soon after South Africa won the World Test Championship.
India won the ODI series 2-1 and the T20I series 3-1.
Detailed Match-by-Match Table
The table below gives scores, venues, key performances and results for the most significant matches. For Tests, the date is the first day of the match.
| Start date | Match | Venue | India | South Africa | Key performances | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 1996 | 1st Test | Motera, Ahmedabad | 223 & 190 | 244 & 105 | Srinath 6/21 (11.5 ov); Laxman 51 | India won by 64 runs |
| 27 Nov 1996 | 2nd Test | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 329 & 137 | 428 & 367/3d | Klusener 8/64 in India’s 2nd innings | South Africa won by 329 runs |
| 26 Dec 1996 | 1st Test | Kingsmead, Durban | 100 & 66 | 235 & 259 | Donald 5/40 and 4/14 | South Africa won by 328 runs |
| 3 Nov 2001 | 1st Test | Bloemfontein | 379 & 237 | 563 & 54/1 | Tendulkar 155; Sehwag 105 (173 balls) | South Africa won by 9 wickets |
| 15 Dec 2006 | 1st Test | Wanderers, Johannesburg | 249 & 236 | 84 & 278 | Sreesanth 5/40 and 3/59; Laxman 73 | India won by 123 runs |
| 26 Mar 2008 | 1st Test | Chennai | 627 | n/a | Sehwag 319 (304 balls) | Draw |
| 24 Feb 2010 | 2nd ODI | Gwalior | 401/3 (50 ov) | n/a | Tendulkar 200* (147 balls) | India won the match |
| 12 Mar 2011 | World Cup | Nagpur | 296 (48.4 ov) | 300/7 (49.4 ov) | Tendulkar 111 (101); Steyn 5/50 | South Africa won by 3 wickets |
| 2 Oct 2015 | 1st T20I | Dharamsala | 199/5 | 200/3 (19.4 ov) | Rohit Sharma 106 (66) | South Africa won by 7 wickets |
| 5 Jun 2019 | World Cup | Southampton | 230/4 (47.3 ov) | 227/9 | Rohit Sharma 122* (144 balls) | India won by 6 wickets |
| 19 Oct 2019 | 3rd Test | Ranchi | 497/9d | 162 & 133 (f/o) | Rohit Sharma 212 | India won by an innings and 202 runs |
| 26 Dec 2021 | 1st Test | Centurion | 327 & 174 | 197 & 191 | KL Rahul 123 | India won by 113 runs |
| 3 Jan 2022 | 2nd Test | Wanderers, Johannesburg | 202 & 266 | 229 & 243/3 | Elgar 96* | South Africa won by 7 wickets |
| 11 Jan 2022 | 3rd Test | Newlands, Cape Town | 223 & 198 | 210 & 212/3 | Kohli 79; Petersen (Player of the Series) | South Africa won by 7 wickets |
| 6 Oct 2022 | 1st ODI | Lucknow | 240/8 (40 ov) | 249/4 (40 ov) | Klaasen (Player of the Match) | South Africa won by 9 runs |
| 11 Oct 2022 | 3rd ODI | Delhi | 105/3 (19.1 ov) | 99 (27.1 ov) | Kuldeep Yadav 4/18 | India won by 7 wickets |
| 30 Oct 2022 | T20 World Cup | Perth | 133/9 | 137/5 (19.4 ov) | Suryakumar 68; Markram 52 | South Africa won by 5 wickets |
| 5 Nov 2023 | World Cup | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 326/5 | 83 (27.1 ov) | Kohli 101* (121); Jadeja 5/33 | India won by 243 runs |
| 26 Dec 2023 | 1st Test | Centurion | 245 & 131 | 408 | Elgar 185 | South Africa won by an innings and 32 runs |
| 3 Jan 2024 | 2nd Test | Newlands, Cape Town | 153 & 80/3 | 55 & 176 | Siraj 6/15 | India won by 7 wickets |
| 29 Jun 2024 | T20 World Cup final | Barbados | 176/7 | 169/8 | Kohli 76 (59); Klaasen 52 (27); Bumrah 2/18; Hardik 3/20 | India won by 7 runs |
| 15 Nov 2024 | 4th T20I | Wanderers, Johannesburg | 283/1 | 148 | Samson 109* (56); Tilak Varma 120* (47) | India won by 135 runs |
| 14 Nov 2025 | 1st Test | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 189 & 93 | 159 & 153 | Low-scoring match; India chased 124 | South Africa won by 30 runs |
| 22 Nov 2025 | 2nd Test | Guwahati | 201 & 140 | 489 & 260/5d | Harmer 9 wickets in the match | South Africa won by 408 runs |
Head-to-Head Trends
| Format | Trend |
|---|---|
| Tests | 46 matches to the end of 2025: South Africa 20, India 16, 10 drawn. Home advantage has been decisive for both sides. |
| ODIs | South Africa has generally led the overall record, though India has won recent series. |
| T20Is | India has the stronger record, especially in major matches. |
| ICC events | India won the 2007 and 2024 T20 World Cup meetings; South Africa won in 2011 and 2022. |
Exact ODI and T20I totals differ slightly between statistical sites, so check ESPNcricinfo’s head-to-head page for the latest figures.
Records and Landmark Performances
- India’s highest Test total against South Africa: 643/6 declared (Kolkata, 2010).
- South Africa’s highest Test total against India: 620/4 declared (Nagpur, 2010).
- India’s lowest completed Test total against South Africa: 66 (Durban, 1996).
- South Africa’s 55 all out at Cape Town in 2024: one of the shortest Tests ever.
- Biggest Test defeat for India by runs: 408 (Guwahati, 2025).
- Highest individual Test score: Virender Sehwag’s 319 at Chennai (2008).
- ODI double century: Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 not out at Gwalior (2010).
Women’s Cricket: India vs South Africa
The women’s rivalry has grown quickly. In June-July 2024, South Africa toured India for a Test, three ODIs and three T20Is. India won the one-off Test and the ODI series 3-0, and the T20Is were drawn 1-1.
The biggest match was the 2025 Women’s World Cup final in Navi Mumbai on 2 November 2025. India made 298/7, with Deepti Sharma contributing 58, and South Africa were bowled out for 246 despite a hundred from captain Laura Wolvaardt. India won by 52 runs, with Deepti also taking 5 for 39, and claimed their first Women’s World Cup title.
Players Who Shaped the Rivalry
India
- Sachin Tendulkar: Centuries at Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Nagpur, and an ODI double hundred against South Africa.
- Virender Sehwag: A debut century in 2001 and a triple century in 2008.
- Virat Kohli: The 2023 World Cup century in Kolkata and the top score in the 2024 final.
- Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj: Match-winning fast bowlers at the 2024 final and Cape Town.
South Africa
- Allan Donald: Took 20 wickets in the 1996-97 Test series.
- Dale Steyn: A five-wicket match-winner in Nagpur in 2011.
- Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis: Major run-scorers in India.
- Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma: Central to the wins of 2021-22 and 2025.
Why the Rivalry Is So Competitive
- Contrasting conditions: Bounce and seam in South Africa meet turn and slow pitches in India.
- Narrow away-win history: Every away series win has been rare enough to be remembered for years.
- Big-tournament meetings: The 2007, 2011, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 matches raised the stakes.
- Both sides are strong in all formats, so results swing between series.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did India and South Africa first play each other?
On 10 November 1991, in an ODI in India. India won the three-match series 2-1.
Who won the 2024 T20 World Cup final?
India won by 7 runs in Barbados on 29 June 2024.
When did India first win a Test in South Africa?
At the Wanderers in Johannesburg in December 2006, by 123 runs.
What is the Freedom Trophy?
It is the trophy for bilateral series between the two countries, named after Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. It has been contested since the 2015-16 tour of India.
Which team leads in Tests?
South Africa, with 20 wins to India’s 16 and 10 draws, as of the end of 2025.
When did South Africa last win a Test series in India?
In November 2025, 2-0, their first series win in India since 2000.
Conclusion
The India vs South Africa rivalry has moved from a symbolic return in 1991 to a World Cup final in 2024 and a historic Test sweep in India in 2025. The two sides have swapped home wins for decades, and both have produced individual performances that are still talked about. With strong squads on both sides, the next series should be a close contest again.
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