From September 29 to December 7, 2015, the South African team toured India. Three T20I matches, five ODI, and four Test matches made up the tour. South Africa played India in a Twenty20 International for the first time, which happened to be the first time a four-match Test series between the two countries was played in India. South Africa and India split the ODI, T20I, and Test series wins. From September 29 to December 7, 2015, the South African cricket team visited India. Beginning with this series, all bilateral trips between India and South Africa were termed the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series, with the sides competing for the Freedom Trophy. In this tour to India, there were a total of 4 Tests, and 1 of them ended in a draw and India won the 4 test series by 3-0.

In January and February 2018, the Indian cricket team travelled to South Africa to compete in three Tests, six ODIs, & three T20 Internationals. Due to financial and scheduling conflicts, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced in January 2017 that this trip will take the place of Sri Lanka's planned visit. South Africa won the Freedom Trophy after winning the first two Test matches of the Test series, which was fought for the trophy. The Test series was ultimately won by South Africa, 2-1.

Dale Steyn made his comeback to international cricket during the Test series. In Perth, Australia, in November 2016, he last participated in a Test match for South Africa and sustained a shoulder injury. Steyn hurt his left heel on day two of the first Test, though. With a recovery period of four to six weeks, this disqualified him from the remainder of the Test. He was disqualified from the remainder of the series two days later. And the series winner was the South African team.

In September and October 2019, the South Africa cricket team travelled to India to compete in three Test matches and three T20I games. The Test series was a part of the first ICC World Test Championship, which ran from 2019 to 2021. Quinton de Kock was selected captain of the T20I team in August 2019, while Cricket South Africa stated that Faf du Plessis will captain the Test team during the visit. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) decided to alter the locations of the second and third Tests later that month at the request of the Jharkhand Cricket Association owing to Durga Puja celebrations in Ranchi during the second week of October. The third Test was initially supposed to take place at Ranchi, but Pune instead hosted the second Test.

When the first match was postponed, the three-match T20I series was tied at a single point. India won the first two games of the Test series to grab a commanding 2-0 lead. India won the eleventh straight series at home, a new mark for any side in Test cricket. To finish the series 3-0, India won the last Test by innings & 202 runs.

In a bilateral Test series versus South Africa, it was India's first defeat. South Africa lost the previous two Tests by innings. When Australia visited in 1935–1936, they last suffered consecutive Test match defeats by an innings margin.

In March 2020, South Africa travelled back to India to play three ODI games. The journey to India for the ODI matches will still go on, Cricket South Africa said on March 6, 2020, despite the COVID-19 epidemic. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the two remaining ODIs will be played behind closed doors to lessen the effects of the coronavirus after the first ODI was postponed due to rain with no play. The final two ODI matches were abandoned on March 13, 2020.

Rudi Second's absence from South Africa's Test team before the tour was a result of an injury. Heinrich Klaasen took his position. Because of fitness concerns, JJ Smuts was also removed from South Africa's T20I team and George Linde took his place. Due to a stress fracture, Jasprit Bumrah was forced to withdraw from India's Test team, and Umesh Yadav took his place. Keshav Maharaj was replaced by George Linde after a shoulder injury forced him out of South Africa's team before the third and final Test. To replace Kuldeep Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem was introduced to India's lineup for the third Test. India won the 3-match series by 3-0.