Top 5 Indian performances against South Africa in T20Is 

India and South Africa have been playing T20I cricket since the year 2006 and over the course of the last 12 years, they have been involved in some memorable clashes.

Naturally, there have been some superb individual performances from Indian players over the course of those 11 completed games and most of those would live in the memory of fans from both sides for a long time.

India started playing T20I tentatively back in 2006 but over the past decade or so, the country has embraced the format and in the games against South Africa, they have delivered some memorable performances.

Here is a look at 5 of the finest.

#5 Rohit Sharma 53 (34) at Durban, 2011

He has been one of India's leading limited overs batsmen for quite some time but back in 2011, India's star batsman Rohit Sharma was not in the best of form and his place in the side was certainly not secure.

However, in the one-off T20I at Durban, he played a superb innings to set India up for a victory over the hosts. Having chosen to bat first, India lost opener Murli Vijay in the 3rd over and that brought Rohit to the crease.

Along with Virat Kohli, he changed the complexion of the innings by playing a scintillating innings. He faced 34 balls, struck 2 sixes and 5 boundaries to ensure that India had the brisk start that a team needs in T20 cricket.

By the time, he was dismissed by Duminy, he had made 53 and India had reached 109 in the 13th over. Suresh Raina's heroics in the latter part of the innings took India to 168 and that total proved enough as India won the game comfortably by 21 runs.

#4 Yuvraj Singh 21(15) and 2-23 at Colombo, World T20 2012

India had to win by a certain margin in the league game against South Africa at the World T20 back in 2012 to advance to the next stage. and although they failed to achieve that, Yuvraj Singh put in an all-round masterclass that saw them win the game by the narrowest of margins.

The Indian star had just returned to the team after his illness and in this game, he turned in an all-round performance that was a throwback to his brilliance in the 2011 World Cup. Having been put in to bat first, India struggled to really get going.

Yuvraj scored a brisk 21 off 15 balls before perishing and in the end, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni took the total to 152.

In their chase, South Africa looked comfortable but it was Yuvraj's slow left-arm off-spin that troubled them the most on a wearing pitch and he picked up the previous wickets of AB de Villiers and top scorer Faf du Plessis. On the other hand, he kept things tight and only went for 22 in his 4 overs. India won the game by 1 run in the end.

#3 Suresh Raina 101 (60) at Gros Islet, World T20 2010

The World T20 in 2010 was an eminently forgettable one for India but the innings played by Suresh Raina at Gros Islet will forever be remembered for being one of the finest innings ever played by an Indian batsman in T20 cricket.

India were put in to bat first and lost opener Murli Vijay in the first over. That brought Suresh Raina to the crease and he played a kind of counterattacking innings that knocked the stuffing out of the South African attack consisting of Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Rory Kleinveldt and Morne Morkel.

He was the last man out in the 20th over but during that innings, that lasted all of 60 deliveries, the left-hander hit 9 fours and as many as 5 sixes as India ended up scoring 186, a huge score in T20 cricket eight years ago. South Africa seemed dazed by the ambush and ended up losing the game by 15 runs.

#2 Ravichandran Ashwin 3-22 at Mirpur, World T20 Semi-final 2014

India have enjoyed the upper hand over South Africa in the World T20 over the years and it was exemplified in the semi-final of the World T20 semi-final at Mirpur back in April 2014. South Africa chose to bat first and were off to a good start despite losing the wicket of Quinton de Kock early on.

However, the introduction of Ashwin changed the game in the 6th over as he bowled what widely became known as the 'ball of the century' to dismiss Hashim Amla with the score 44 for 1 in 5 overs. He went round the wicket and slipped in the doosra. The ball spun a great deal and bowled Amla.

In the 14th over, he picked up the wicket of a well set Faf du Plessis just as he was threatening to break free and in his next over, he further dented South Africa's hopes by picking up the wicket of AB de Villiers.

In his 4 overs, he gave away only 22 runs and picked up the wickets of 3 of South Africa's best batsmen. Once they were looking good to get 200 plus but ended up getting 172. India won the game comfortably in the end, with 5 balls to spare.

#1 Rohit Sharma 50 (40) at Durban, World T20 2007

When India took on the hosts South Africa in a must-win game, they elected to bat first on a wet and treacherous pitch at Durban. The decision seemed foolhardy Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini reduced India to 33 for 3 in the 6th over.

At the fall of the 3rd wicket, a 20-year-old Rohit Sharma came in to bat and played an innings that not only showed his outstanding technique against the seaming ball but also his ability to keep the score moving.

With support from captain MS Dhoni at the other end, Sharma repaired the innings and ended it with a flurry that saw India eventually score 153 runs in their 20 overs. His 50 came off 40 balls but he was batting for survival on a pitch that had everything in favour of the fast bowlers.

He hit 7 fours and 2 sixes in his half-century and the quality of the innings soon became apparent when South Africa slumped to 31 for 5 in the chase, before eventually ending their innings at 116 for 9 in 20 overs. It remains the finest performance by an Indian in T20s against South Africa.