T20 International cricket matches between India and South Africa produced fine performances and unforgettable moments. Both teams have played some high-stake encounters, which have also involved some high-scoring games and nail-biting finishes. One notable aspect of these matches is India's ability to put up huge totals versus South Africa. The big T20I scores by the Indian cricket team against South Africa represent a combination of skill, planning, and individual brilliance. These innings not only demonstrated the skill of Indian batters but also set the stage for intense and tightly contested matches. Here are the top 10 highest scores by India against South Africa in the T20Is.
1. 237/3
237/3 is the highest T20I total for India against South Africa. On 2nd October 2022, South Africa elected to field first after winning the toss in Guwahati. On a good batting surface, the Indian openers grabbed the opportunity and made a 96-run partnership. Sharma played a fine knock of 43 runs off 37 deliveries, while KL Rahul was the aggressor who scored 57 runs off just 28 deliveries. The No. 3 and No.4 batters Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav stitched together a 102-run stand. Suryakumar played a blistering innings of 61 runs of just 22 deliveries, while Virat Kohli stayed not out on 49. In the end, the finishing touches by Dinesh Karthik (17* off 7) powered India to a big total of 237/3.
2. 211/4
South Africa toured India and played the first T20 international on 1st June 2022 in Delhi. South Africa elected to field first after winning the toss. India scored a big total of 211. Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the innings for India and made a 57-run partnership. Kishan scored a brilliant 76 off 48 balls, and Ruturaj, was dismissed on 23. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant scored 36 and 29, respectively. Hardik Pandya's fierce innings of 31 off 12 balls took India to 211. South Africa chased the target with five balls remaining as David Miller and Rassie Van der Dussen scored 64* and 75*, respectively.
3. 203/5
The first T20I of the India tour of South Africa was played on 18th Feb 2018 in Johannesburg. On a good batting surface, South Africa elected to field first. Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma played striking innings of 21 off 9 and 72 off 39, respectively. Skipper Virat Kohli fell for 26 off 20 balls. Contributions from Manish Pandey (29* off 27), MS Dhoni (16 of 11), and Hardik Pandya (13* off 7) took India to 203/5. The visitors restricted the hosts to 175/9, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed the MOTM for his terrific spell of 5/24.
4. 199/5
India set a target of 200 for the visitors. It was the first T20I of the series on 2nd October 2015. On a good batting surface of Dharamshala, the visitors elected to bowl first. Rohit Sharma opened the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan and played a superb knock of 106 off just 66 balls. Virat Kohli came in at no. 3 and made 43 off 27. Skipper MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 20 off 12 to set a target of 200 for South Africa. The visitors chased the total easily, as JP Duminy played a match-winning knock of 68* off 34 balls.
5. 188/4
It was the second T20I between the same teams in Centurion. South Africa fielded first after winning the toss and got off to a great start as Junior Dala dismissed Rohit Sharma on the first ball. Shikhar Dhawan played a decent knock of 24 off 14, followed by Suresh Raina, who scored 31 off 24. Manish Pandey and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni scored 79 off 48 and 52 off 28, respectively, and powered India to 188. South Africa had no problems chasing the total and won the match by six wickets. Heinrich Klassen played a fantastic knock of 69 off 30, including three 4s and seven 6s.
6. 186/5
A special outing for India in the third edition of the World T20, which was played in the West Indies in 2010. The two teams locked horns on 2nd of May in Gros Islet. South Africa elected to field first after winning the toss and got off to a great start after dismissing Murali Vijay for a golden duck. Suresh Raina came in at no.3 and played one of the best innings of his T20I career. The Southpaw smashed 101 off 66 balls and became the first Indian batter to score a T20I century. Crucial contributions from Yuvraj Singh (37 0ff 30), Yusuf Pathan (11 off 7), and MS Dhoni (16* off 6) powered India to a good total of 186.
7. 179/5
The third T20I between the two teams was played on 14th June 2022. India batted first and scored 179/5. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan played fantastic knocks of 57 and 54, respectively. Hardik Pandya played a fierce knock of 31 off 21 balls and took India to 179. Yuzvendra Chahal was the MOTM for his spell of 3/20.
8. 178/10
South Africa set a massive target of 229 for the hosts in Vishakhapatnam. The third T20I between the two teams was played on 4th October 2022. India fell short by 49 runs and gifted a victory to the hosts. The game was a dead rubber, as the hosts had already clinched the series after winning the first two matches.
9. 176/4
India and South Africa locked horns in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2014 in Mirpur. India was given a target of 173. Rohit Sharma gave a good start to India after smashing 24 off 13 balls. It was Virat Kohli, the MOTM, who scored a famous 72* off 44 to book a place in the final. His innings involved five 4s and two 6s.
10. 172/7
The decider of the T20I series was played in Cape Town on 24thFebruary 2018. India batted first and scored 172/7. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scored 47 and 43, respectively. Decent contributions from the middle-order batters ensured India got to a fighting total of 172. India won the match by seven runs and clinched the three-match T20I series, 2-1.
