Cricket enthusiasts have long debated which international team tends to falter at the most critical junctures. While both India and New Zealand have experienced their share of ups and downs, recent events—such as India’s sensational T20 World Cup triumph on June 29, 2024—have added further intrigue to this rivalry. Despite India’s remarkable win against the Proteas in that tournament, New Zealand still clings to its reputation as resilient competitors in high-pressure scenarios.
In this blog post, we explore an ocean of statistics detailing head-to-head records, format-specific performances, and individual feats from both sides. So grab your virtual swimsuit, and let’s dive into the numbers that have defined this storied rivalry.
Head-to-Head Record
The two cricketing giants have clashed across formats over the years. Below is a summary of their overall encounters:
| Format | Matches | India Won | New Zealand Won | Draw/Tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEST | 65 | 22 | 16 | 27 |
| ODI | 119 | 61 | 50 | 8 |
| T20 | 25 | 14 | 10 | 1 |
| Total | 209 | 97 | 76 | 36 |
ICC Events Performance
When the stakes are highest, both teams have carved out notable records in ICC tournaments:
| Event | Matches | India Won | New Zealand Won | Draw/Tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI WC | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| T20 WC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
Test Match Statistics
Test cricket has witnessed some historic highs and lows in this rivalry. Here’s a breakdown of the key records:
Highest Team Scores (Test)
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | 680/8d | vs India | Wellington |
| NZ | 630/6d | vs India | Mohali |
| India | 619/9d | vs NZ | Napier |
| India | 583/7d | vs NZ | Ahmedabad |
| India | 566/8d | vs NZ | Nagpur |
Lowest Team Scores (Test)
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 46 | vs NZ | Bangalore |
| NZ | 62 | vs India | Mumbai |
| India | 81 | vs NZ | Wellington |
| India | 83 | vs NZ | Mohali |
| India | 88 | vs NZ | Mumbai |
Most Runs (Test)
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahul Dravid | 28 | 1659 | 222 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 39 | 1595 | 217 |
| Brandon MacCllum | 19 | 1224 | 303 |
| Graham Dowling | 22 | 959 | 239 |
| Virat Kohli* | 27 | 959 | 211 |
Highest Averages (Test)
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dilip Sardesai | 6 | 360 | 120 |
| Vinoo Mankad | 5 | 526 | 105.2 |
| AG Kripal Singh | 3 | 199 | 99.5 |
| Vijay Manjrekar | 8 | 507 | 84.5 |
| James Neesham* | 4 | 241 | 80.3 |
Most Wickets (Test)
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravi Ashwin* | 23 | 75 | 7/59 |
| Richard Hadlee | 24 | 65 | 7/23 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 22 | 57 | 6/42 |
| Erapalli Prasanna | 18 | 55 | 8/76 |
| Tim Southee* | 25 | 55 | 7/64 |
Best Economy Rates (Test)
| Player | Matches | Overs | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arshad Ayub | 3 | 196.4 | 1.45 |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 9 | 367.3 | 1.52 |
| Harry Cave | 5 | 254 | 1.62 |
| Bishan Bedi | 12 | ___ | 1.68 |
| Srinivas Venkataraghavan | 10 | ___ | 1.78 |
ODI Statistics
One-day cricket has seen India dominate with some stellar team performances and individual brilliance.
ODI Team Scores
Highest Scores:
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 397/4 | vs NZ | Mumbai |
| India | 392/4 | vs NZ | Christchurch |
| India | 385/9 | vs NZ | Indore |
| India | 376/2 | vs NZ | Hyderabad |
| India | 353/5 | vs NZ | Hyderabad |
Lowest Scores:
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | 78 | vs India | Vizag |
| India | 88 | vs NZ | Dambulla |
| India | 92 | vs NZ | Hamilton |
| NZ | 103 | vs India | Chennai |
| India | 108 | vs NZ | Christchurch |
ODI Batting & Bowling Records
Most Runs:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 41 | 1750 | 186* |
| Virat Kohli* | 32 | 1656 | 154* |
| Ross Taylor | 34 | 1385 | 112* |
| Kane Williamson | 29 | 1228 | 118 |
| Nathan Astle | 29 | 1207 | 120 |
Highest Averages:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Turner | 4 | 272 | 272 |
| Yusuf Pathan | 5 | 173 | 86.5 |
| Shubman Gill* | 11 | 592 | 74.00 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 9 | 138* | 73.66 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 8 | 563 | 70.37 |
Most Wickets:
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jawagal Shrinath | 30 | 51 | 4/23 |
| Anil Kumble | 30 | 39 | 5/33 |
| Tim Southee* | 24 | 38 | 4/49 |
| Md. Shami* | 14 | 37 | 7/59 |
| Kapil Dev | 29 | 33 | 3/26 |
Best Economy Rates:
| Player | Matches | Overs | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Hadlee | 20 | ___ | 3.36 |
| Kapil Dev | 29 | 264.1 | 3.44 |
| Ewen Chatfield | 21 | 191.1 | 3.88 |
| Jawagal Shrinath | 30 | 264.2 | 3.93 |
| Anil Kumble | 31 | 264.0 | 4.11 |
T20 International Statistics
T20 cricket is all about quick-fire action and explosive performances. Let’s look at how both teams have fared in the shortest format.
T20I Team Scores & Batting Brilliance
Highest Team Scores:
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 234/4 | vs NZ | Ahmedabad |
| NZ | 219/6 | vs India | Wellington |
| NZ | 212/4 | vs India | Hamilton |
| India | 208/6 | vs NZ | Hamilton |
| India | 204/4 | vs NZ | Auckland |
Lowest Team Scores:
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | 66 | vs India | Ahmedabad |
| India | 79 | vs NZ | Nagpur |
| NZ | 99/8 | vs India | Lucknow |
| India | 110/7 | vs NZ | Dubai |
| NZ | 111 | vs India | Kolkata |
Most Runs:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma* | 17 | 511 | 80 |
| Colin Munro | 12 | 426 | 109* |
| Kane Williamson* | 13 | 419 | 95 |
| Martin Guptill | 16 | 380 | 70 |
| Ross Taylor | 13 | 349 | 54* |
Highest Strike Rates:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Highest Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umran Malik* | 1 | 4 | 400.00 |
| Daniel Vettori | 1 | 15 | 300.00 |
| Deepak Chahar* | 1 | 21 | 262.50 |
| Virendra Sehwag | 3 | 90 | 236.84 |
| Scott Kuggeleijn* | 4 | 22 | 220.00 |
Best Averages:
| Player | Innings | Runs | Best Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon MacCllum | 4 | 261 | 130 |
| Manish Pandey* | 5 | 106 | 106 |
| Shubman Gill* | 3 | 144 | 72 |
| Surya Kumar Yadav* | 8 | 285 | 47.33 |
| Krunal Pandya* | 2 | 46 | 46.00 |
T20I Bowling Records
Most Wickets:
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzi Chahal* | 6 | 9 | 3/18 |
| Deepak Chahar* | 2 | 8 | 6/7 |
| Al-Amin Hossain* | 11 | 8 | 3/37 |
| Rubel Hussain* | 12 | 7 | 2/24 |
| Washington Sunder* | 12 | 7 | 3/22 |
Best Economy Rates:
| Player | Economy |
|---|---|
| Mitchell Santner* | 6.96 |
| Ish Sodhi* | 7.53 |
| Yuzi Chahal* | 7.80 |
| Tim Southee* | 8.72 |
Individual Records
Test Matches
Highest Runs in an Innings:
| Player | Runs |
|---|---|
| Brandon MacCllum | 302 |
| Graham Dowling | 239 |
| Vinoo Mankad | 231 |
| Bert Sutcliffe | 230* |
| Brandon MacCllum | 225 |
Highest Wickets in an Innings:
| Player | Wickets |
|---|---|
| Azaz Patel* | 10/119 |
| Erapalli Prasanna | 8/72 |
| Srinivas Venkataraghavan | 8/76 |
| Richard Hadlee | 7/23 |
| Mitchell Santner* | 7/53 |
ODIs
Highest Runs in an Innings:
| Player | Runs |
|---|---|
| Shubman Gill* | 208 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 186* |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 163* |
| Virat Kohli* | 154* |
| Saurav Ganguly | 153* |
Highest Wickets in an Innings:
| Player | Wickets |
|---|---|
| Md. Shami* | 7/57 |
| Shane Bond | 6/19 |
| Amit Mishra | 5/18 |
| Trent Boult* | 5/21 |
| Andre Adams | 5/22 |
T20s
Highest Runs in an Innings:
| Player | Runs |
|---|---|
| Shubman Gill* | 126* |
| Suryakumar Yadav* | 111* |
| Colin Munro | 109* |
| Kane Williamson* | 95 |
| Brandon MacCllum | 91 |
Highest Wickets in an Innings:
| Player | Wickets |
|---|---|
| Deepak Hooda* | 4/10 |
| Mitchell Santner* | 4/11 |
| Hardik Pandya* | 4/16 |
| Md. Siraj* | 4/17 |
| Daniel Vettori | 4/20 |
FAQs
- Who is India’s playing XI in New Zealand?
In their latest ICC Champions Trophy encounter, India’s squad was led by Rohit Sharma, with key contributions from players such as Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Md. Shami, and Hardik Pandya. - How many test series has India won against New Zealand?
India has emerged victorious in 12 out of 24 test series, winning 8 series outright while 4 ended in draws. - What is New Zealand’s record in T20 Internationals against India?
Out of 25 T20 matches, New Zealand has secured 10 wins, while India has claimed 14 victories, with one match ending without a result. - Which team is set to play in the WTC?
Although the complete playing XI remains to be finalized, it has been confirmed that Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian side in the upcoming WTC 2025. - Where has India yet to secure a test series win?
India is still searching for a test series victory on South African soil.
Conclusion
The India–New Zealand rivalry is defined by dramatic highs, intense competition, and a wealth of records that continue to inspire cricket fans around the world. Whether it’s the nail-biting finishes in ODIs, the strategic battles in Test matches, or the explosive displays in T20s, each format tells a unique story of passion and perseverance. As India celebrates its recent T20 World Cup victory and continues to refine its game, New Zealand remains a formidable opponent—always ready to bounce back in crucial moments.
This deep dive into the statistics not only underscores the historic rivalry but also invites fans and analysts alike to appreciate the nuances and evolving narratives of modern cricket. As both teams build on their legacies, the future promises even more thrilling encounters on the global stage.
Stay tuned for more insights and detailed analyses as this rivalry continues to evolve!
Cricket isn’t just a sport; it’s a playground for stories, and I’m here to tell them with humor, creativity, and a touch of flair. Whether it’s the thrill of an IPL last-over finish or the quirks of a rising star, my words bring the game alive for the next-gen audience. Like an unorthodox stroke that surprises the bowler, my take on cricket is anything but predictable. And if you ask what’s on my mind—well, cricket, always cricket! 🏏🔥
