India and South Africa have had some of the most intense matches in the ODI format. And this can also be seen in the pinnacle tournament of cricket, the ODI World Cup.
India and South Africa have met 5 times in ICC ODI World Cup competitions. India has won 2 of these 5 games, while South Africa has triumphed 3 times. On that note, here’s a look at the head-to-head record between India and South Africa in the history of the ODI World Cup.
India vs South Africa: All Results in ODI World Cup
| Date | Winner | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| March 15, 1992 | South Africa won by 6 wickets | Adelaide |
| May 15, 1999 | South Africa won by 4 wickets | Hove |
| 12 March, 2011 | South Africa won by 3 wickets | Nagpur |
| February 22, 2015 | India won by 130 runs | Melbourne |
| June 5, 2019 | India won by 6 wickets | Southampton |
1992: Adelaide
The first head-to-head World Cup match between India and South Africa took place at the Adelaide Oval in 1992. The South Africans came out on top in a rain-affected encounter, easily chasing down India’s total of 180/6 in a 30-over-a-side match with Peter Kirsten’s 86-ball 84.
1999: Hove
Their second head-to-head encounter was 7 years later in Hove, where the South Africans once again proved too powerful for the Indians. India batted first, scoring 253/5 in 50 overs thanks to half-centuries from Sourav Ganguly (97 off 142) and Rahul Dravid (54 off 75). However, it was insufficient in the end, as Jacques Kallis’ 128-ball 96 and Jonty Rhodes’ unbeaten 31-ball 39 clinched South Africa a 4-wicket victory.
2011: Nagpur
The next time these two teams met was at the 2011 edition in Nagpur. India batted first, and their opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag launched an impressive assault on the Dale Steyn-led bowling attack. Sachin smashed his 99th international century, and India appeared to be on track to break the 400-run barrier at 267/1 after 37 overs.
But tragedy struck when Steyn went through India’s middle and lower orders, precipitating one of the most shocking collapses in ODI history. India moved from 267/1 to 296 all-out in the blink of an eye, much to everyone’s surprise, especially the South Africans.
This failure from India’s batters ensured that India’s losing streak against the Proteas in ODI World Cups would continue for 4 more years as South Africa chased down the target in the last over with 3 wickets in hand.
2015: Melbourne
The losing streak was ultimately ended in front of a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground in February 2015, when the MS Dhoni-led defending champions defeated a power-packed South African squad by a staggering 130 runs.
Shikhar Dhawan’s 146-ball 137 and Ajinkya Rahane’s counter-attacking 60-ball 79 drove India to 307/7 in 50 overs after opting to bat first on a calm MCG surface. It was more than enough as the much-vaunted South African batting squad collapsed under pressure in front of a disciplined Indian bowling attack led by R. Ashwin, who took 3 important wickets for 41 runs.
2019: Southampton
Four years later, India won their second consecutive ODI World Cup match against South Africa to kick off their 2019 campaign. The Indian bowling attack set up the 6-wicket win by restricting the Proteas to 227/9 in seamer-friendly conditions. The true difference between the two teams, however, was Rohit Sharma’s brilliant, unbeaten 144-ball 122*, which took India over the ropes.
