How have India's T20I side fared in South Africa?
What's the story
India have embarked on their month-long tour of South Africa, which includes bilateral series across formats. The three-match T20I series will begin on December 10, with the Kingsmead in Durban hosting the opener. India won their last bilateral T20I series in South Africa in 2018. They will start afresh this time under Suryakumar Yadav. Here, we decode India's T20I record in South Africa.
Record
India's T20I record in SA
India have won nine out of 13 T20Is in SA. While the Men in Blue have lost thrice, one match was abandoned. India and SA have clashed in only one T20I series comprising over one match in the African nation. India won that series in 2018 by a 2-1 margin. They won the one-off T20Is in 2006 and 2011, while SA won in 2012.
T20 WC
World T20 2007; India's maiden T20 International
It is worth noting that India won the inaugural T20 World Cup edition in 2007, which was hosted by South Africa. A young Indian side under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni defeated Pakistan in the final in Johannesburg. They beat Australia in the semi-finals. Notably, India played their first-ever T20I in SA against the hosts in 2006. India won the game.
Runs
Rohit Sharma leads the runs tally
Among active players, Rohit Sharma is India's leading run-scorer in South Africa in T20I cricket. He has 173 runs at 43.25 in this regard. Notably, Rohit is not a part of the upcoming series. It is important to note that none of the batters in India's squad for the impending series has played in the African nation.
Information
What about India's bowlers?
Like India's batting unit, the bowlers will also represent India for the first time in South Africa. India's bowlers for the series are Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
H2h
SA vs IND: Overall head-to-head record in T20Is
India and South Africa have locked horns in 24 T20Is as of now, with the former winning 13 of them. While the Proteas have won 10 games, one of these was abandoned. Interestingly, SA lead the head-to-head series 6-5 in India. SA have won only one bilateral T20I series against India. They routed India 2-0 in the 2015/16 series.