The 37th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will see hosts India lock horns with South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 05.
This will be a crucial game for both these teams as they meet at the fag end of the round-robin stage, where they won't be able to afford any slip-ups.
On this note, here's a look at India vs South Africa Head-to-Head record in ODIs & the ICC Cricket World Cup:
India vs South Africa Head to Head Record - ODIs
India and South Africa have squared off 90 times in ODIs since the latters' readmission to international cricket in November 1991.
The Proteas have dominated the ledger by winning 50 out of the 90 encounters.
| Matches Played | 90 |
| IND Won | 37 |
| SA Won | 50 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 3 |
| %IND | 41.11% |
| %SA | 55.55% |
| First Played | 10 Nov 1991 |
| Last Played | 11 Oct 2022 |
Top Run Scorers in India vs South Africa Head to Head - ODIs
| Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg | S/R | 50/100 | HS |
| IND | Sachin Tendulkar | 57 | 57 | 2001 | 35.73 | 76.31 | 8/5 | 200* |
| SA | Jacques Kallis | 37 | 34 | 1535 | 61.40 | 72.37 | 11/2 | 119* |
Top Wicket Takers in India vs South Africa Head to Head - ODIs
| Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Avg | E/R | 4/5 |
| IND | Anil Kumble | 40 | 39 | 46 | 32.00 | 3.94 | 2/0 |
| SA | Shaun Pollock | 33 | 33 | 48 | 24.47 | 4.05 | 1/1 |
India vs South Africa Head to Head Record - ODI World Cup
India and South Africa's maiden meeting at the World Cup took place at the Adelaide Oval in 1992.
It was a rain-affected game where the South Africans eventually came out trumps as they hunted down India's total of 180/6 in a 30-over-a-side fixture easily thanks to an 86-ball 84 by Peter Kirsten.
Their second meeting took place 7 years later in Hove, where once again, the South African proved to be too strong for the Indians.
India batted first, and on the back of half-centuries from Sourav Ganguly (97 off 142) and Rahul Dravid (54 off 75), they posted 253/5 in 50 overs.
But, it proved to be inadequate in the end, as a 128-ball 96 from Jacques Kallis, and a quickfire unbeaten 31-ball 39* ensured that South Africa romped home by 4 wickets.
The next meeting between these two teams took place at the 2011 World Cup in Nagpur. India batted first, and their opening duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag proceeded to launch a stunning attack on the Dale Steyn-led attack.
Sachin smashed his 99th international ton, and at 1/267 after 37 overs, it looked as if India would breach the 400-run mark.
But, then, disaster struck as Steyn ran through the India middle and lower order to trigger one of the most outrageous collapses in ODI history. India went from being 1-267 to 296 all-out within the blink of an eye, much to the shock of everyone, including the South Africans.
That collapse ensured that India's winless streak against the Proteas in World Cups continued for another 4 years as Robin Peterson's exploits in the end handed them their only defeat of the tournament.
The hoodoo was finally broken in front of a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground in February 2015 as the MS Dhoni-led defending champions outclassed a power-packed South African outfit by a whopping margin of 130 runs.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan's magical 146-ball 137, and Ajinkya Rahane's counter-attacking 60-ball 79 propelled India to 307/7 in 50 overs after they had decided to bat first on a placid MCG surface.
It proved to be more than enough as the much-vaunted South African batting unit wilted under pressure against a disciplined Indian pace attack and the skillful R Ashwin, who bagged 3 crucial wickets for 41 runs.
Four years later, India registered their 2nd consecutive WC win over South Africa to kickstart their 2019 campaign.
The 6-wicket victory was set up by the Indian bowling attack, which restricted the Proteas to 227/9 in seamer-friendly conditions.
However, it was Rohit Sharma's magnificent unbeaten 144-ball 122* which proved to be the real difference between the two sides.
| Matches Played | 5 |
| IND Won | 2 |
| SA Won | 3 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
| %IND | 40℅ |
| %SA | 60℅ |
| First Played | 07 June 1975 |
| Last Played | 30 June 2019 |
Top Run Scorers in India vs South Africa Head to Head - ODI World Cup
| Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg | S/R | 50/100 | HS |
| IND | Sachin Tendulkar | 4 | 4 | 227 | 56.75 | 90.43 | 1/1 | 120 |
| SA | Jacques Kallis | 2 | 2 | 165 | 82.50 | 76.38 | 2/0 | 96 |
Top Wicket Takers in India vs South Africa Head to Head - World Cup
| Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Avg | E/R | 4/5 |
| IND | Yuzvendra Chahal | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12.75 | 5.10 | 1/0 |
| SA | Dale Steyn | 2 | 2 | 6 | 17.50 | 5.33 | 0/1 |
