India, the biggest team on the international cricket stage in terms of following, will begin their World Cup 2019 league engagements against a cornered South Africa at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday. India are the most-anticipated team and have yet to take the field in World Cup 2019, while South Africa have already been reduced to two defeats -- to England and Bangladesh -- and will be desperate to come back into running. They would be hoping to capitalise on India's first-match hesitancy and put it past them. India, however, are carded as one of the favourite teams for the trophy and are never a walkover.
India and South Africa have a long One-day International (ODI) history. South Africa visited India first after the end of the Apartheid era and then India reciprocated, so South Africa's birth as an ODI team was on the Indian stage.
Here is a break-up of the matches:
Matches: 83
India won: 34
South Africa won: 46
Tied: 0
No result: 3
South Africa was on the ascendancy in the initial days but as India grew as a cricket superpower; their performances began to claw back the deficit.
India are the only team that has yet to take the field and the entire nation and cricketing fraternity is looking forward to their arrival.