- Historic Rivalry: India and South Africa have shared a competitive cricket rivalry across all formats, with many memorable matches since their first meeting in 1991.
- Test Matches: In Tests, South Africa has traditionally dominated at home, while India has shown strong performances in recent years, especially in home conditions.
- ODI and T20I Records: The head-to-head record in ODIs remains closely contested, while in T20Is, both sides have enjoyed periods of dominance with several thrilling finishes.
- ICC Events: India has had the upper hand in ICC tournaments, often defeating South Africa in knockout or crucial group-stage encounters, adding more intensity to this rivalry.
IND vs SA Head-to-Head: Tests, ODIs, T20Is & ICC Events

Summary
In the modern era of cricket, the head-to-head rivalry between India and South Africa has been growing significantly in multiple formats. Both teams have faced each other in very competitive and thrilling matches. Back in the year 1991, the South African Cricket Team visited India for an ODI series, playing many memorable matches between these sides.
The India vs South Africa head to head records lie in favour of one of the best cricket teams in the world, South African side in ODI and Test Cricket, whereas in T20I the stats support the Indian Cricket Team. Over the years, India has been performing well against the Proteas, trying to change the historical records to their name and script a new history of rivalry amongst the nations.
Category | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Matches Played | 169 | 169 |
Matches Won | 74 | 81 |
Matches Lost | 81 | 74 |
No Result | 14 | 14 |
Highest Score | 643/6d (2010 Test) | 620/4d (2010 Test) |
Lowest Score | 66 (1996 Test) | 55 (2024 Test) |
Total Centuries | 31 (Tests) 19 (ODIs) 7 (T20Is) | 26 (Tests) 24 (ODIs) 2 (T20Is) |
India vs South Africa Head to Head (1991-2025)
As per the latest stats and records from 1991 to 2025, the Indian Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team have played a total of 169 matches against each other, across all three formats of the game. In the Test format, both of the nations have faced each other in 44 matches, with 18 wins for South Africa and 16 wins for India, and 10 ending without any result. In ODI cricket, IND vs SA head to head also lies in the hands of South Africa, with 51 matches out of 94, having taken place as of 2025. Whereas in the T20I format, the Indian Cricket Team leads the chart with 18 victories out of 31 matches.
Formats | Matches | India Won | South Africa Won | Tied/ No Result | First Match | Latest Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tests | 44 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 13 November 1992 | 3 January 2024 |
ODIs | 94 | 40 | 51 | 3 | 10 November 1991 | 21 December 2023 |
T20Is | 31 | 18 | 12 | 1 | 1 December 2006 | 15 November 2024 |
India vs South Africa Head to Head in Test Cricket
As of 2025, the head to head rivalry in Test cricket between India and South Africa is dominated by the South African side. The nations have played 44 matches together, with 18 in favour of South Africa, 16 won by India, and 10 ending with no result. From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli for India, whereas Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla for South Africa have dominated the rivalry amongst these nations with excellent batting performances. Indian spinner Anil Kumble, along with South Africa pacer Dale Steyn, have dominated the bowling charts between the two sides.
The first ever Test match between India and South Africa took place on 13 November 1992 in Durban, South Africa, which ended in a draw, and the latest Test match was played on 3 January 2004 in Cape Town, South Africa, won by India in just two days.
India vs South Africa Test Records
The Indian Cricket Team holds the record for the highest team total in the Test matches between India and South Africa, reaching the total of 643/6d in 2010 at Eden Gardens, featuring fantastic batting from Virender Sehwag (165 runs off 176 balls), Sachin Tendulkar (106 runs off 206 balls), VVS Laxman (143 runs off 260 balls), and MS Dhoni (132 runs off 187 balls). South Africa's best team total came in the same year at Centurion, where they managed to score 620/4d, courtesy of tons from Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, and AB de Villiers.
Category | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Highest Team Total | 643/6d- Kolkata, 2010 (Eden Gardens) | 620/4d- Centurion, 2010 (SuperSport Park) |
Lowest Team Total | 66- Durban, 1996 (Kingsmead) | 55- Cape Town, 2024 (Newlands) |
Highest Individual Score | Virender Sehwag- 319 (Chennai, 2008) | Hashim Amla- 253* (Nagpur, 2010) |
Best Bowling Figures | Ravi Ashwin- 12/90 (Nagpur, 2015) | Allan Donald- 12/139 (Gqeberha, 1992) |
India vs South Africa Head to Head in ODI Cricket
The IND vs SA head to head in ODI belongs to the favour of the Proteas, with 51 wins out of the 94 matches played between the sides since November 1991. The ODI format has witnessed many jaw-dropping and thrilling fixtures between India and South Africa. Later this year, both teams are going to play a 3-match ODI series in India.
The first ODI match between these two nations was played on 10 November 1991 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India, where India won by 3 wickets and showcased their dominance in international cricket. Both the sides have faced each other in many ICC ODI tournaments, like the ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy, which have been dominated by the Men in Blue.
India vs South Africa ODI Records
India vs South Africa stats in the ODI format, showcases the dominating performances of the South African Cricket Team, with the highest record total of 438/4 in 2015 at Wankhede, featuring knocks from Quinton De Kock (109 runs off 87 balls), Faf Du Plessis (133 runs off 115 balls), and Ab de Villiers (119 runs off 61 balls). For India, the highest ODI total against South Africa is 401/3 in 2010 at Gwalior, consisting runs a double century from Sachin Tendulkar.
Category | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Highest Team Total | 401/3- Gwalior, 2010 (Captain Roop Singh Stadium) | 438/4- Mumbai, 2015 (Wankhede Stadium) |
Lowest Team Total | 91- Durban, 2006 (Kingsmead) | 83- Kolkata, 2023 (Eden Gardens) |
Highest Individual Score | Sachin Tendulkar- 200* (Gwalior, 2010) | Quinton De Kock- 135 (Johannesburg, 2013) |
Best Bowling Figures | Sunil Joshi- 5/6 (Nairobi, 1999) | Allan Donald- 5/29 (Eden Gardens, 1991) |
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India vs South Africa Head to Head in T20I Cricket
As per the current stats and records, the India vs South Africa head to head lies in the hands of the Indian Cricket Team in the T20I format, with 18 wins out of 31 total matches. They have dominated the rivalry in this format, winning the 2024 ICC T20I World Cup final recently. Apart from this, South Africa has faced the Indian side 6 more times in the T20I World Cup but managed only 2 wins.
The first T20I match between India and South Africa was conducted on 1 December 2006 in Johannesburg, which was one of the first games in this format after its addition. The latest T20I game between these sides was on 15 November 2024 in Johannesburg.
India vs South Africa T20I Records
In 2024, India recorded the highest T20I total against South Africa, reaching 283/1 at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, featuring explosive batting from Sanju Samson (109 runs off 56 balls) and Tilak Varma (120 runs off 47 balls), whereas the highest T20I total by South Africa is 227/3, which came in 2022 at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, with the help of a ton by Rilee Rossouw in 48 balls. The lowest T20I score is 87 by South Africa in 2022, followed by 92 by India in 2015.
Category | India | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
Highest Team Total | 283/1- Johannesburg, 2024 (The Wanderers Stadium) | 227/3- Indore, 2022 (Holkar Cricket Stadium) |
Lowest Team Total | 92- Cuttack, 2015 (Barabati Stadium) | 87- Rajkot, 2022 (Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium) |
Highest Individual Score | Tilak Varma- 120* (Johannesburg, 2024) | David Miller- 106* (Guwahati, 2022) |
Best Bowling Figures | Kuldeep Yadav- 5/17 (Johannesburg, 2023) | Lungi Ngidi- 4/29 (Perth, 2022) |
India vs South Africa Head to Head in ICC Tournaments
The Indian Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team have faced each other 17 times in the history of ICC tournaments from 1992 to 2024. The India vs South Africa head to head in ICC tournaments leans towards India with 12 victories out of 17 matches in major ICC tournaments as of now. Although, there is an edge of South Africa in the overall records and stats, but India has dominated the fixtures between these two nations in ICC tournaments.
Since 1992, these nations have faced each other in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 6 times, with 3 wins for each nation. In the ICC T20 World Cup, South Africa and India have played 7 times, with 5 wins for India and 2 for South Africa. In the ICC Champions Trophy, the Men in Blue have outshined the Proteas with 4 out of 4 wins in this edition of the ICC tournament.
Tournament | Matches | India Won | South Africa Won | Tied/ No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ICC ODI World Cup | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
ICC T20I World Cup | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
ICC Champions Trophy | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
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India vs South Africa Head to Head: Players Stats and Records
In Test Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar from India leads the run tally with a total of 1,741 runs with an average of 42.46, followed by South Africa's Jacques Kallis with 1,734 runs with an average of 69.36. With the ball, Anil Kumble leads the chart with 84 wickets with an average and economy of 31.79 and 2.34, followed by Dale Steyn, who has 65 wickets with an average and economy of 21.53 and 3.08. When it comes to centuries, top run scorers Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis are tied at the top with 7 each.
Category | Test | ODI | T20I |
|---|---|---|---|
Most Runs | Sachin Tendulkar (IND)- 1,741 Jacques Kallis (SA)- 1,734 | Sachin Tendulkar (IND)- 2,001 Jacques Kallis (SA)- 1,535 | Rohit Sharma (IND)- 429 David Miller (SA)- 524 |
Most Wickets | Anil Kumble (IND)- 84 Dale Steyn (SA)- 65 | Anil Kumble (IND)- 46 Shaun Pollock (SA)- 48 | Arshdeep Singh (IND)- 18 Keshav Maharaj (SA)- 15 |
Most 100s | Sachin Tendulkar (IND)- 7 Jacques Kallis (SA)- 7 | Virat Kohli (IND)- 5 Quinton De Kock (SA)- 6 | Tilak Varma (IND)- 2 David Miller (SA)- 1 |
Most 50s | Sachin Tendulkar (IND)- 12 Jacques Kallis (SA)- 12 | Rahul Dravid (IND)- 14 Gary Kirsten (SA)- 13 | Suryakumar Yadav (IND)- 5 Quinton De Kock (SA)- 4 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the most matches India vs South Africa?
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Who won the most matches India vs South Africa?
India and South Africa have faced each other in 94 matches in ODI. Out of these 94 games, India have won 40 whereas South Africa have come out victorious on 51 occasions. 3 matches ended without a result.
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