The Gandhi–Mandela Trophy, also known as The Freedom Trophy, is a cricket trophy that is awarded to the winner of Test series, known as The Freedom Series, between India and South Africa. First awarded in 2015, the trophy is dedicated to famous Indian and South African freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela respectively.
Background Test Series Prior to the trophy's inception, India and South Africa had played eleven series, six in South Africa and five in India. The overall record was six South African victories, two Indian victories, and three drawn series.India in South AfricaSouth Africa in India
Years Host Tests Drawn Result1992–93 1996–97 1996–97 1999–2000 2001–02 2004–05 2006–07 2007–08 Drawn2009–10 Drawn2010–11 Drawn2013–14 Total 29 7 13 9
In 2015 BCCI and CSA announced that all future bilateral tours of India and South Africa to be named as Mahatma Gandhi–Nelson Mandela Bilateral series. The series is played in Test cricket format. The series is named after leaders of both countries to pay tribute to them for playing a major role in winning independence by nonviolence. This has also helped in gaining an "iconic and traditional status" to the series.
Editions
Series Years Host Tests Drawn Result HolderPlayer of the series 1 2015–16 Ravichandran Ashwin 22017–18 Vernon Philander 32019–20 Rohit Sharma 42021–22 Keegan Petersen 52023–24 Drawn Jasprit Bumrah Dean Elgar 62025–26 Simon HarmerTotal
Total Series Drawn 6 2 3 1
Results Played Won byIndia Won bySouth Africa Drawn Tests in India 9 6 () 2 () 1 () Tests in South Africa 8 3 () 5 () 0 () All Tests 17 9 () 7 () 1 () Series in India 3 2 () 1 () 0 () Series in South Africa 3 0 () 2 () 1 () All series 6 2 () 3 () 1 () As of 26 November 2025
Match venues
In India Stadium First Test Last Test Played wins Draws* wins RefI. S. Bindra Stadium, Mohali 2015–16 2015–16 1 1 0 0 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru 2015–16 2015–16 1 0 1 0 VCA Stadium, Nagpur 2015–16 2015–16 1 1 0 0 Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi 2015–16 2015–16 1 1 0 0 ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam 2019–20 2019–20 1 1 0 0 MCA Stadium, Pune 2019–20 2019–20 1 1 0 0 JSCA Stadium, Ranchi 2019–20 2019–20 1 1 0 0 Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2025–26 2025–26 1 0 0 1 Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati 2025–26 2025–26 1 0 0 1 In South Africa Stadium First Test Last Test Played wins Draws* wins RefNewlands, Cape Town 2017–18 2023–24 3 2 0 1 Centurion Park, Centurion 2017–18 2023–24 3 2 0 1 Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 2017–18 2021–22 2 1 0 1
See also Pataudi Trophy Anthony de Mello Trophy Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy Border–Gavaskar Trophy The Ashes Basil D'Oliveira Trophy Tangiwai Shield
References
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