The India Women’s National Cricket Team vs South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team timeline showcases an enticing rivalry that began in 1997. Over the years, both teams have offered exciting clashes in various formats, primarily through India’s dominant play particularly in ODIs and at home. That said, South Africa has been competing hard and carving their place by achieving big results over the last two years that have intensified the rivalry. From their first meeting to World Cup pressure battles to T20 excitement, the timeline chronicles all memorable matches, key performances, and the growth of women’s cricket on both sides.
1997 to Recent Encounters: Close Contests and Tough Battles
- 1997 Hero Honda Women’s World Cup- The 3rd Quarter Final of the tournament was played in Patna between South Africa Women and India Women. This was their first encounter, where India Women won by 5 wickets with 132 balls to spare. SA women batted first and scored 80 in 43.1 overs, IND women completed the run chase of 81 in just 28 overs, with 5 wickets down.
- 2002 India Women tour of South Africa: SA women won the series 2-1, highlighting their strength in the sport on their home ground. While the first match of the series concluded without a result, SA Women won the 2nd ODI match by 29 runs using the D/L method. In the third game, SA Women won by 3 wickets with 1 ball remaining using the D/L method. India won the next game by 37 runs, thanks to Deepa Marathe Kulkarni’s 4-wicket haul.
- 2002 India Women tour of South Africa Test series: The two sides played their first test match in Paarl on March 19, 2002. South Africa was dismissed for 150 runs in the first innings after India batted and amassed 404. Playing the second innings, SA Women scored 266, India completed the run chase, and won the match. India’s best players included Anjum Chopra, Hemlata Kala, Mithali Raj, Anju Jain, Mamatha Maben, Deepa Marathe, and Jhulan Goswami.
- 2014 South Africa Women tour of India Test series: During their tour of India, South Africa visited Mysore to play a Test match. Thirush Kamini’s 192 and Punam Raut’s 130, as well as Harmanpreet Kaur’s 5 and 4-wicket hauls in the first and second innings of the SA Women, helped the IND Women win by an innings and 34 runs.
- 2014 South Africa Women tour of India T20I: On November 30, 2014, SA Women and IND Women played their first T20I match in Bengaluru. IND Women played the first innings and gathered 146, losing 5 wickets. Smriti Mandhana led the side with 52 off 42 balls. Led by Dane van Niekerk (46 runs off 47 balls), SA Women were dismissed for 130, losing the game by 16 runs.
- 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier: The final of the tournament was played in Colombo on February 21, 2017. South Africa Women accumulated a decent score of 244 in the first innings, while India Women completed the run chase of 245, defeating South Africa Women by 1 wicket. Deepti Sharma was named player of the match for her impressive batting stunt of 71 off 89 balls.
- 2019 South Africa Women tour of India T20I series: Both sides played a 4-match T20I series in India, where IND Women won the series 3-1. The 1st T20I match was played in Surat, India batted first and posted a total of 130, at the loss of 8 wickets. SA Women was folded for 119, giving away an 11-run victory to India. The second and third games were abandoned due to rain. IND Women clinched victory by 51 runs in the 4th match, thanks to Poonam Yadav, who prevented SA Women from completing the run chase. In the 5th game, IND Women won by 5 wickets with 17 balls to spare. Harmanpreet Kaur was awarded player of the match for scoring an unbeaten 34 off 32 balls, and taking 1 wicket, conceding 13 runs. In the 6th match, SA Women retaliate with a 105-run win.
- 2021 South Africa Women tour of India ODI series: South Africa Women and India Women faced off in a five-match ODI series in India. SA Women won the series 4-1, winning all 4 matches except 2nd. Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Lara Goodall, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Shabnim Ismail, and Nonkululeko Mlaba were top contributors for SA Women’s victory.
- 2024 South Africa Women tour of India Test series: India Women chose to bat first after winning the toss. They scored 603 in the first innings, while the SA Women folded up for 266 in 84.3 overs. SA Women posted 373 in the next innings, and IND Women completed the target of 37 to claim victory by 10 wickets.
As the rivalry between the India Women’s National Cricket Team and South Africa Women’s National Cricket Team deepens, fans can look forward to exciting contests in the future. Both sides have young players of great promise as well as experienced leaders, so intensity and unpredictability will become a hallmark of their contests. That will be increasingly true with future series and global events showcasing their respective developments, as well as crew and individual strategies, and adaptability. What began as a one-sided affair in 1997 is now a respected rivalry carrying with it the legitimacy of competitiveness, as a possible portrait for the future of women’s cricket.
Read More:
