Table of Contents
The India National Cricket Team Vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Stats reflect one of the most fascinating rivalries in international cricket. Since their first Test meeting in 1955, India and New Zealand have competed in Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), producing countless memorable matches. India has enjoyed greater success in overall head-to-head records, while New Zealand has earned a reputation for delivering outstanding performances in ICC tournaments. From legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar and Kane Williamson to modern stars such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, this rivalry has consistently showcased world-class cricket, remarkable records, and unforgettable moments.
Overall Head-to-Head Records
The overall stats highlight a balanced historic rivalry across formats
| Format | Total Played | India Wins | New Zealand Wins | Ties / No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 63 | 22 | 16 | 25 |
| ODI | 118 | 61 | 51 | 6 |
| T20I | 35 | 19 | 15 | 1 |
Major ICC Tournament History
New Zealand has historically held the upper hand in global tournament knockouts, though India has responded strongly in recent cycles
| Tournament Type | Total Matches | India Wins | New Zealand Wins | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI World Cup | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| T20 World Cup | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| ICC Champions Trophy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Recent Head-to-Head Encounters (Bilateral Series & ICC Tournaments)
The latest results across all formats, including the momentous 2026 T20 World Cup Final, are detailed below:
| Date | Format | Venue | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 March 2026 | T20I (World Cup Final) | Ahmedabad | India | 96 runs |
| 31 January 2026 | T20I | Thiruvananthapuram | India | 46 runs |
| 28 January 2026 | T20I | Visakhapatnam | New Zealand | 50 runs |
| 25 January 2026 | T20I | Guwahati | India | 8 wickets |
| 23 January 2026 | T20I | Raipur | India | 7 wickets |
| 21 January 2026 | T20I | Nagpur | India | 48 runs |
| 18 January 2026 | ODI | Indore | New Zealand | 41 runs |
| 14 January 2026 | ODI | Rajkot | New Zealand | 7 wickets |
| 11 January 2026 | ODI | Vadodara | India | 4 wickets |
| 9 March 2025 | ODI (Champions Trophy Final) | Dubai | India | 4 wickets |
| 2 March 2025 | ODI (Champions Trophy Group) | Dubai | India | 44 runs |
| 1–5 November 2024 | Test Match | Mumbai | New Zealand | 25 runs |
| 24–28 October 2024 | Test Match | Pune | New Zealand | 113 runs |
| 16–20 October 2024 | Test Match | Bengaluru | New Zealand | 8 wickets |
Highest Individual Innings Totals
Team milestones recorded in individual innings over the years
| Team | Score | Venue | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 630/6d | Ahmedabad | 16 October 2003 |
| New Zealand | 619/9d | Napier | 26 March 2009 |
| India | 583/7d | Ahmedabad | 29 October 1999 |
| India | 566/8d | Hyderabad | 20 November 2010 |
Lowest Team Innings Totals
The statistical breakdown of the lowest completed or targeted team scores across their last four competitive innings shows New Zealand struggling heavily against India’s bowling attack, while India suffered one major batting collapse
| Rank | Team | Score / Innings | Match Format / Event | Match Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 153/9 (20.0 Ov) | 3rd Bilateral T20I | 25 January 2026 | Lost by 8 wickets |
| 2 | New Zealand | 159 all out (19.0 Ov) | T20 World Cup Final | 8 March 2026 | Lost by 96 runs |
| 3 | India | 165 all out (18.4 Ov) | 4th Bilateral T20I | 28 January 2026 | Lost by 50 runs |
| 4 | New Zealand | 225 all out (19.4 Ov) | 5th Bilateral T20I | 31 January 2026 | Lost by 46 runs |
The Genesis of a Quiet Rivalry (1955–1975)
The early decades of this rivalry established a respectful, traditional competitive baseline, dominated by long Test series and the very first encounters of the ODI format.
| Year | Event / Series | Format | Historic Significance / Statistical Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | NZ Tour of India | Test | First-ever bilateral series between the nations; India won the 5-match series 2–0. |
| 1965 | NZ Tour of India | Test | Highly competitive 0–0 drawn series; marked by India collapsing to a historic 88 all out in Mumbai. |
| 1968 | India Tour of NZ | Test | India’s historic first-ever Test series win overseas, defeating the Black Caps 3–1 on their own turf. |
| 1975 | Prudential World Cup | ODI | The very first ODI meeting between the two sides; New Zealand won by 4 wickets in Manchester. |
The ODI Revolution and Neutral Ground Shockwaves (1980–1999)
As one-day international cricket exploded in global popularity, the two teams frequently clashed in multi-nation tournaments hosted on neutral territory, often resulting in massive upsets.
| Year | Event / Series | Format | Historic Significance / Statistical Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Benson & Hedges Series | ODI | First neutral-ground ODI matches played between the sides in Australia; New Zealand dominated the tri-series legs. |
| 1987 | Reliance World Cup | ODI | Chetan Sharma took a historic World Cup hat-trick against NZ in Nagpur; Sunil Gavaskar hit his only ODI century. |
| 1992 | Benson & Hedges World Cup | ODI | Playing at home, a rampant New Zealand team shocked India by 7 wickets in the tournament opener in Dunedin. |
| 1999 | Pepsi Cup & World Cup | ODI | India posted a mammoth 376/2 in Hyderabad (Sachin Tendulkar 186*); later met in the Super Sixes of the 1999 World Cup where NZ won. |
Green Tops and Spinning Webs: The Home Advantage Era (2000–2018)
This era was defined by extreme home-court advantages: India prepared turning tracks to trap the Black Caps, while New Zealand laid out green, seam-friendly pitches to dismantle Indian batting orders.
| Year | Event / Series | Format | Historic Significance / Statistical Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | India Tour of NZ | Test/ODI | Extreme green tops in NZ; India was rolled over for 99 and 121 in Tests. India also slumped to 108 all out in the ODI series. |
| 2010 | NZ Tour of India | Test | India used home spin advantage to sweep the series; scored a massive 566/8d in Hyderabad. |
| 2014 | India Tour of NZ | Test/ODI | Brendon McCullum hit a historic 302 in Wellington to deny India a Test win; NZ won the ODI series 4–0. |
| 2016 | NZ Tour of India | Test/ODI | India swept the Tests 3–0 on spinning tracks. New Zealand was bowled out for 103 all out in the Visakhapatnam ODI. |
The World Cup Heartbreaks and High-Stakes Heartbeats (2019–2023)
The rivalry transformed into an epic, high-stakes global narrative, defined by intense ICC knockout encounters and dramatic reversals of fortune.
| Year | Event / Series | Format | Historic Significance / Statistical Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ICC ODI World Cup Semi-Final | ODI | A heartbreaking rain-delayed match in Manchester; NZ knocked India out by 18 runs despite MS Dhoni’s valiant fifty. |
| 2021 | ICC T20 World Cup Group Stage | T20I | New Zealand restricted India to just 110/7 in Dubai, storming to an easy 8-wicket win and knocking India out early. |
| 2023 | ICC ODI World Cup Group Stage | ODI | India broke a 20-year hoodoo by defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets in Dharamshala, powered by Mohammed Shami’s 5-wicket haul. |
| 2023 | ICC ODI World Cup Semi-Final | ODI | Ultimate redemption for India in Mumbai; posted 397/4 (Virat Kohli’s 50th ODI ton) and won by 70 runs despite a fierce Daryl Mitchell century. |
Ultimate Red Ball Showdown: Southampton WTC Final (2021)
The pinnacle of their modern Test history came in England, where the two sides battled through rain and grueling conditions for the ultimate crown in red-ball cricket.
| Match Event | Innings / Phase | Top Performers | Statistical Output / Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| India 1st Innings | Overs: 92.1 | Ajinkya Rahane (49) / Kyle Jamieson (5/31) | India bowled out for 217 on a damp surface. |
| NZ 1st Innings | Overs: 99.2 | Devon Conway (54) / Mohammed Shami (4/76) | New Zealand took a slim lead, scoring 249. |
| India 2nd Innings | Overs: 73.0 | Rishabh Pant (41) / Tim Southee (4/48) | India collapsed to 170 all out, setting a low target. |
| NZ 2nd Innings (Chase) | Overs: 45.5 | Kane Williamson (52*) / Ravichandran Ashwin (2/17) | New Zealand scored 140/2 to win by 8 wickets. |
| Champions | Podium | Kyle Jamieson (Player of the Match) | New Zealand crowned inaugural World Test Champions. |
Turning the Tables: White-Ball Explosions and Clean Sweeps (2020–2023)
A period marked by high-scoring bilateral limited-overs series, featuring historic clean sweeps and frantic Super Over finishes on both territories.
| Year | Series / Tour | Format | Statistical Output / Series Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | India Tour of NZ | T20I | India completed a historic 5–0 whitewash of NZ in NZ, including two back-to-back dramatic Super Over victories. |
| 2020 | India Tour of NZ | ODI | New Zealand instantly turned the tables, completing a 3–0 clean sweep against India in the subsequent ODI leg. |
| 2023 | NZ Tour of India | ODI | India completed a dominant 3–0 clean sweep at home; Shubman Gill smashed a double-century (208) in Hyderabad. |
| 2023 | NZ Tour of India | T20I | India won 2–1; Shubman Gill hit 126* as NZ was skittled for their lowest T20I score against India (66 all out in Ahmedabad). |
The New Horizon: Test Whitewashes and Modern Battles (2024–2026)
The most recent chapter of this rivalry has seen unprecedented history made in Test cricket, followed by an immediate white-ball power struggle on the world stage.
| Date / Era | Series / Tournament | Format | Statistical Output / Series Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct–Nov 2024 | NZ Tour of India | Test | New Zealand pulled off a historic 3–0 Test series whitewash on Indian soil—India’s first home whitewash in 24 years. Included India’s historic 46 all out in Bengaluru. |
| Jan–Feb 2026 | NZ Tour of India | ODI / T20I | New Zealand won the ODI series 2–1 (their first-ever ODI series win in India). India fought back to claim the T20I series 4–1. |
| Feb–Mar 2025 | ICC Champions Trophy | ODI | India defeated New Zealand both in the group stage (by 44 runs) and the Tournament Final (by 4 wickets) in Dubai. |
| 8 March 2026 | ICC T20 World Cup Final | T20I | India completely dominated New Zealand in the Final at Ahmedabad, posting 255/5 and bowling the Black Caps out for 159 to win by 96 runs. |
Final Thoughts
The India and New Zealand cricket rivalry continues to be one of the most respected and competitive matchups in world cricket. Although India leads the overall statistics across formats, New Zealand has repeatedly proven its ability to challenge the best teams, especially in major ICC competitions. Every series between these two nations brings exciting contests, outstanding individual performances, and new records for cricket fans to celebrate. As both teams continue to develop talented players and compete at the highest level, the rivalry is expected to produce even more historic moments, ensuring that India vs New Zealand remains one of cricket’s most anticipated international contests.
FAQs
1. Who leads the head-to-head record between India and New Zealand?
India leads the overall head-to-head record across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, with more victories than New Zealand in international cricket.
2. When did India and New Zealand play their first international match?
India and New Zealand played their first Test match against each other in 1955, marking the beginning of a long-standing international rivalry.
3. Which team has performed better in ICC tournaments?
New Zealand has enjoyed several memorable ICC victories, including the 2019 Cricket World Cup semi-final and the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final, while India won the 2023 World Cup semi-final and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy Final.
4. Who are the top performers in the India vs New Zealand rivalry?
Some of the greatest performers include Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Anil Kumble, Richard Hadlee, Tim Southee, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
5. Why is the India vs New Zealand rivalry considered special?
The rivalry is known for its competitive balance, contrasting playing conditions, thrilling ICC encounters, and consistent performances from some of the world’s finest cricketers across all formats.
