India will meet Bangladesh in the semi-finals in Birmingham on Thursday.
Former South Africa captain Clive Rice rates the India bowling attack higher than South Africa's and said the home bowlers would struggle to take 20 wickets against a batting line-up, which boasts of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, in the Test series starting next week.
Retired Sri Lankan spin-wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was the star attraction when players representing various Airtel Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) franchise teams attended a coaching clinic at a school in Parkmore, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
Trailing 1-2 in the series, India have some concerns with most batsmen not showing enough flexibility at different batting positions.
Mominul Haque (28) and Tamim Iqbal, who hit a six off the final ball of the day to reach 22, were not out at stumps on Friday as Bangladesh began their reply after South Africa's tea-time declaration on 496 for three.
After a week of action at the Cricket World Cup, with each team now playing at least one match, here's an analysis of how the main contenders are shaping up.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis described Kagiso Rabada's performance as "phenomenal" after the young paceman helped turn a parlous situation on day two of the first Test against Australia into a thumping 177-run victory on Monday. The tourists had done well to get to 242 all out after being 5-81 on day one but were looking down the barrel of a heavy defeat when Australia raced to 158 without loss on day two. Matters got worse when, having finally broken the opening partnership, South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn was forced off the field with a shoulder fracture that ruled him out of the series.
South Africa removed the West Indian openers in Sunday's last session at Newlands to build on AB de Villiers' superb century and take the initiative in the final Test.
AB de Villiers' masterly 85 in his 100th test could not gloss over South Africa's spin frailty as India took charge of the second Test after dominating the opening day at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
Rival captains Graeme Smith and Elton Chigumbura termed the wicket at the Chepauk as 'under-prepared' and hoped that the wickets will be better prepared in time for the World Cup.
Australia captain Steve Smith expects his touring batsmen to be given a thorough test of their credentials when they face South Africa's formidable attack on pace-friendly pitches in a four-Test series beginning in March.
He's been one of the most consistent players in the last six months, and even towered above other Indian batsmen in the recently-concluded series in South Africa. While India's leading batsmen struggled to cope with the pace and bounce of Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, Virat Kohli was rock-solid and unyielding.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe claimed 13 wickets to emerge as the most valuable player (MVP) of the South Africa-India ODI series. Morne Morkel, who was picked as the man of the series, is second on the list, and India's Munaf Patel is fourth in a series dominated by bowlers.
Yusuf Pathan's blistering century proved in vain for India as South Africa won the fifth and decisive one-day international by 33 runs on Sunday to take the series 3-2.
Images from Day 3 in the third Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
South Africa will head to India armed with three frontline slow bowlers in their Test squad after recalling leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-break bowler Dane Piedt for the four-match series starting in November.
Images of the Day 2 play of the first Test between India and South Africa played at the Centurion on Friday.
Post tea, play was possible for 20 minutes before a thunderstorm washed away nearly an hour.
Winning Test matches outside the sub-continent has been an 'Achilles Heel' for the Indian teams over the years but skipper Virat Kohli made it clear that they have "nothing to prove to anyone" during the upcoming South Africa series, starting January 5.
Off-spinner Dane Piedt raised hopes of an unlikely South African victory as he grabbed three wickets on Wednesday to leave England on 155 for six at tea on the final day of the high-scoring second Test.
Virat Kohli is the lone Indian batsman to be figuring in the top-10 in the ICC Test batsmen rankings.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals in Nagpur, on Monday.
Pacer Vernon Philander claimed six for 21 as South Africa thrashed Australia by a huge margin of 492 runs to claim the four-match series 3-1, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers in Chennai, on Sunday.
To combat defending champions India in Sunday's World cup match, the South African team management has brought in Gary Kirsten, Mike Hussey and Allan Donald.
South Africa made an early breakthrough with the wicket of West Indian Leon Johnson when play got underway on a rain-delayed fourth day of the third and final Test at Newlands on Monday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the Chennai Super Kings record in the IPL over the years.
Dane Piedt produced the best performance by a debutant South African spinner as the Proteas thumped Zimbabwe by nine wickets to retain their number one status following the one-off conTest at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
If his figures in the recent two-day game against the Board President's XI are an indicator, then Morne Morkel should excel with the ball and make life difficult for India in the upcoming series.
Reader Aravinda Ram sent us this photograph from Johannesburg.
Experienced South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis will not be able to bowl in the first Test against England, captain Graeme Smith said on Tuesday.
Dale Steyn became South Africa's second highest wicket taker as West Indies reached 276 for six on the first day of the third Test on Friday.
Images from the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings atthe Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi on Friday.
Having pocketed the series 4-1, with a match still to go, India snatch ICC ODI top rank from Proteas
Pakistan outclassed South Africa by 19 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit match in the ICC Champions Trophy match, in Birmingham, on Wednesday.
Check out the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for IPL 2014.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar says South Africa will be a tough challenge for India in the upcoming Test series and marked out Proteas leg-spinner Imran Tahir as the one bowler to watch out for.
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on South African soil.
South Africa won the fourth and final Test by an innings and 74 runs on Sunday, bowling England out for 169 just before lunch on the fourth day at the Wanderers to level the series at 1-1.
South Africa fast bowling great Allan Donald will join Australia as bowling coach for their tour of Sri Lanka this year, local media reported on Wednesday.
