NEW DELHI: India and South Africa last met in a T20 International in the T20 World Cup final at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on June 29.
The Proteas looked set for victory till Suryakumar Yadav took a stunning catch at the boundary line to dismiss David Miller and turn the match on its head as India went on to win the final by 7 runs.
And now Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India for a four-match series in South Africa from November 8.
In bilateral series, India have played 9 T20I matches in South Africa and have emerged victorious in 6 matches, having lost 3 games and the T20 World Cup champions would be looking to continue their dominance in South Africa.
The T20I rivalry between India and South Africa has been a captivating part of international cricket, marked by competitive, high-stakes matches.
Over the years, both teams have consistently delivered close, hard-fought contests, whether on South African soil or in India.
India played their first ever T20I match in South Africa at the Wanderers on December 1, 2006 and they won the match by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining).
This was the only T20I played by the great Sachin Tendulkar in his illustrious career.
India’s victory over South Africa in the 2007 T20 World Cup was pivotal, as India went on to win the inaugural T20 championship.
South Africa’s prolific batsman David Miller leads the run scoring charts in India-South Africa bilateral T20Is with 452 runs in 21 matches with a highest score of an unbeaten 106.
David Miller is followed by India stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but both have retired from the shortest format of the game.
India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the charts when it comes to most wickets in India-South Africa bilateral T20Is. The medium fast bowler has taken 14 wickets from 12 matches against South Africa in T20Is with best figures of 5/24.
In South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav has played two T20Is scoring 56 and 100 in December 2023.
This hundred by Surya, who was the captain at that time also, that came in the third T20I of the series on December 14, 2023 in Johannesburg. This was the flamboyant batter’s fourth century in the shortest format of the game and powered India to a 106-run victory as the 3-match series was drawn 1-1.
The rivalry has showcased the adaptability of both teams, with South Africa performing well on Indian pitches, which are generally slower, and India showing resilience on South African fast, bouncy tracks.
The India-South Africa T20I rivalry has brought about several memorable matches that have kept fans at the edge of their seats, and it remains one of the most anticipated encounters in T20 cricket.