The recently-concluded World Cup went in similar fashion for India and South Africa. Both sides bossed the group stage, finishing first and second respectively before falling to Australia; South Africa in the semifinal and India in the final.
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In their World Cup meeting, India demolised South Africa by 243 runs in a match which saw Virat Kohli score his 49th ODI century. The two sides will meet again in an all-format series starting from December 10, as India visit the Rainbow Nation.
This is the hosts' first assignment since the World Cup, whereas India beat Australia 4-1 in a 5-match T20I series beginning just 4 days after the tournament final.
Here, The Sporting News presents India's best batters in South Africa.
Who is India's most successful batsman in South Africa? Highest runscorers in ODIs, T20Is and Tests in SA
India's first visit to South Africa came in 1992/93, when a 4-Test series was played either side of a 7-match ODI faceoff in a tour that ran from November 13 to January 6. South Africa won the ODI series 5-2 and the Test series 1-0. The first T20I between these sides came in December 2006 in Johannesburg, a game which saw India win by 6 wickets.
MORE: What were ICC's ratings to World Cup final & semi-final pitches in Ahmedabad & Kolkata?
Only one Indian player has scored over 1000 Test runs in South Africa; Sachin Tendulkar, with 1161. Virat Kohli could close the gap to the top on this tour.
| Name | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 28 | 1161 | 46.4 | 49.4 | 169 |
| Virat Kohli | 14 | 719 | 51.4 | 50.2 | 153 |
| Rahul Dravid | 22 | 624 | 29.7 | 37.6 | 148 |
Kohli is India's top scorer in the ODI format in South Africa. However, he will not add to his tally on this tour as he has requested to not play the white-ball leg.
| Name | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 16 | 898 | 74.8 | 90.2 | 160* |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 22 | 553 | 25.1 | 65.8 | 101 |
| Rahul Dravid | 11 | 512 | 51.2 | 67.0 | 84 |
In T20Is, India's best batter in South Africa is Shikhar Dhawan. The southpaw has scored 143 runs in the format in just 3 innings against the Proteas overseas.
| Name | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan | 3 | 143 | 47.7 | 153.8 | 72 |
| MS Dhoni | 6 | 135 | 33.8 | 140.6 | 52* |
| Rohit Sharma | 5 | 135 | 33.8 | 146.7 | 53 |
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