India and South Africa, the finalists of the last T20 World Cup, will face each other again in the Super 8 stage of the tournament in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In the 2024 final, India came out on top, defeating the Proteas to lift the trophy. This time, South Africa will be eager to start the Super 8 phase strongly and settle old scores.
Iconic Moments Between India and South Africa
T20 World Cup 2007, Durban
Looking back at their T20 World Cup history, one of their most memorable meetings came in the inaugural 2007 edition in Durban. In that match, India posted 153/5 in 20 overs. Rohit Sharma played a key role with an unbeaten 50 off 40 balls, while captain MS Dhoni added a valuable 45 from 33 deliveries.
South Africa struggled in their chase as India’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance. RP Singh was the standout, taking 4 wickets for just 13 runs in his four overs. The Proteas were restricted to 116/9 in their 20 overs, handing India a convincing 37-run victory.
That defeat proved costly for South Africa, as they missed out on a place in the semi-finals after finishing third in their group. The match is still known for Rohit’s arrival in International cricket.
ROHIT SHARMA Scores in 2007 T20I World Cup
Super 8 – 50 (40)* vs South Africa
Semis – 08 (05)* vs Australia
Final – 30 (16)* vs PakistanThese numbers are batting at No. 5,6 for India.
Not including him in the upcoming T20I will be the biggest mistake. @ImRo45 #RohitSharma𓃵 pic.twitter.com/dpptObalW1
— Ayush_45 (@AyushTiwari_264) November 23, 2023
T20 World Cup 2010, ST Lucia
The match became memorable for a special reason, as Suresh Raina created history by becoming the first Indian batter to score a century in all three formats of the game. The left-hander played a brilliant knock of 101 off just 60 balls, helping India post a strong total of 186/5 in their 20 overs. He brought up his century in just 59 balls, reaching the milestone in style by smashing a six off Albie Morkel.
South Africa responded with a solid effort in the chase. Jacques Kallis led the fight with a well-made 73 from 54 deliveries, keeping his team in the contest. However, despite their strong performance, South Africa finished on 172/5, falling short by 14 runs in a closely fought match.
Still Suresh Raina is the only Indian to score 100 in T20 WC history 🐐🔥#sureshraina pic.twitter.com/7mDkZGJFxU
— Walter White🎬 (@klaus_reddy) June 24, 2024
T20 World Cup 2014, Mirpur
India and South Africa faced each other again in the semi-final of the 2014 T20 World Cup. South Africa batted first and put up a strong total of 172/4 in 20 overs. Captain Faf du Plessis led from the front with 58 off 41 balls, while Jean-Paul Duminy added an unbeaten 45 from 40 deliveries. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets.
In reply, Virat Kohli delivered a match-winning performance. He played a calm and controlled knock of 72 not out from 44 balls, guiding India to victory and taking them into the final almost single-handedly. An iconic moment from the game is when Ms Dhoni refused to take a run off Hendricks when India required 1 off 7 balls. And Kohli finished the game with a boundary off the first ball in the 20th over by Dale Steyn.
Virat Kohli vs South Africa 2014 T20 WC #TrueWorship_CuresCancer pic.twitter.com/p43dKILrCE
— 𝚝🅷ₑ@ अभिषेक 🗿🖤 (@imabhi0005) February 4, 2026
T20 World Cup 2024 Barbados
India and South Africa faced off in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados in what turned out to be a thrilling contest. Batting first, India posted 176/7 in their 20 overs. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a composed 76 off 59 balls. Axar Patel provided crucial support with a quick 47 from 31 deliveries, while Shivam Dube added an important 27 off 16 to push the total to a competitive score. In reply, South Africa fought hard but fell just short, finishing on 169/8. One of the defining moments of the match came when Suryakumar Yadav took a stunning catch at long-off to dismiss David Miller, shifting the momentum firmly in India’s favour.
The seven-run win gave India its second T20 World Cup title, leading to emotional celebrations across the country. Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch remains one of the most unforgettable moments for Indian fans and is still talked about with pride.
Relive Suryakumar Yadav’s unbelievable long-off catch in the T20 WC 2024 final. A moment etched in history—pure raw emotions, and scenes after the win that will be remembered for ages. pic.twitter.com/HHLCEoIlYX
— yaser khan 🇮🇳 (@ar_yaserkhan) January 20, 2026
