22 Oct – 1 Dec 2026
Seventy years of a rivalry that keeps turning, and the 2026 tour
5 T20Is · 5 ODIs · 2 Tests
The 2026 tour
India in New Zealand: the full tour
Twelve matches from 22 October: five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests.
India play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests in New Zealand between 22 October and 1 December. It is the largest bilateral tour New Zealand Cricket has ever hosted, and it is set against 100 years of sporting ties between the two countries.
12MatchesAcross six grounds in five cities
2009India’s last Test series win in NZ1-0 under MS Dhoni
96RunsIndia’s winning margin in the 2026 T20 World Cup final
3–0New Zealand in India, 2024India’s first home whitewash in a 3-Test series
What each leg is really about
The T20Is
The T20Is are India’s first series in New Zealand as double world champions, with Shreyas Iyer now in charge of the side. New Zealand lost the final in Ahmedabad heavily and will want a different story on their own pitches, where the ball swings early and Eden Park’s short boundaries punish anything loose.
The ODIs
The ODIs are a meeting of the top two sides in the ICC rankings, a year before the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. New Zealand won the ODI series in India 2-1 in January, so India start this leg with something to put right. Both sides have named separate squads for the first three games and the last two, and Shubman Gill hands the Indian captaincy to Shreyas Iyer for the final two.
The Tests
The Tests carry the most weight. Both count towards the World Test Championship, where India sit fifth, and New Zealand have won the last three Tests between the sides. India have won a Test series in New Zealand only twice, in 1968 and 2009.
Form and rankings
Where they stand
ICC team rankings as listed by TOI on 16 October 2026. In January, New Zealand won the ODI series in India 2-1 and India won the T20Is 4-1. India’s last Test assignment was a 1-0 series win in Sri Lanka.
FormatTable positionICC points
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ODI rankingIndia first, New Zealand second
12345
ICC points: India 115, New Zealand 109.India +6
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Test rankingIndia fourth, New Zealand third
12345
ICC points: India 105, New Zealand 106.New Zealand +1
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T20I rankingIndia second, New Zealand fourth
12345
ICC points: India 267, New Zealand 247.India +20
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WTC 2025–27India fifth (68 pts), New Zealand second
12345
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Fixtures
Every match, in Indian time
Five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The tour starts at Hagley Oval and ends there.
The whole tour
Twelve matches in 41 days.
22 Oct – 1 Nov · 5 T20Is
Two in Christchurch, then Wellington, Auckland’s Eden Park, with its short straight boundaries, and Hamilton.
4 – 15 Nov · 5 ODIs
Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton, then two at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui to finish.
New Zealand will wear a special Kotahitanga jersey with lotus flowers for these games.
19 Nov – 1 Dec · 2 Tests
The Basin Reserve in Wellington, then Hagley Oval.
The grounds
Six grounds, five cities
New Zealand grounds are small by Indian standards, often windy and quick to change with the weather.
India’s full Test and T20I record at each of the grounds they visit on this tour. Every match at these grounds has been against New Zealand.
01Christchurch
Hagley Oval
This tour: 1st & 2nd T20I · 2nd Test
- Tests1 played · IND 0 · NZ 1
- T20Is0 played · IND 0 · NZ 0
02Wellington
Basin Reserve
This tour: 1st Test
- Tests8 played · IND 1 · NZ 5 · D 2
03Wellington
Wellington Regional Stadium
This tour: 3rd T20I · 2nd ODI
- T20Is3 played · IND 1 · NZ 2
04Auckland
Eden Park
This tour: 4th T20I · 1st ODI
- Tests5 played · IND 2 · NZ 1 · D 2
- T20Is3 played · IND 3 · NZ 0
05Hamilton
Seddon Park
This tour: 5th T20I · 3rd ODI
- Tests4 played · IND 1 · NZ 1 · D 2
- T20Is2 played · IND 1 · NZ 1
06Mount Maunganui
Bay Oval
This tour: 4th & 5th ODI
- T20Is2 played · IND 2 · NZ 0
Squads
Who is on the plane
T20Is
India
16 players
Captain Shreyas Iyer
- Shreyas Iyer (c)
- Abhishek SharmaOnly here
- Sanju SamsonOnly here
- Vaibhav SooryavanshiOnly here
- Ishan Kishan
- Tilak Varma
- Axar Patel
- Shivam DubeOnly here
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Naman Dhir
- Prince YadavOnly here
- Mayank YadavOnly here
- Arshdeep Singh
- Bhuvneshwar KumarOnly here
- Varun ChakaravarthyOnly here
- Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand
16 players
Captain Mitchell Santner
- Mitchell Santner (c)
- Finn Allen
- Michael Bracewell
- Mark Chapman
- Devon Conway
- Jacob Duffy
- Lockie Ferguson
- Zak FoulkesOnly here
- Matt Henry
- Bevon JacobsOnly here
- Kyle Jamieson
- Adam MilneOnly here
- Daryl Mitchell
- Glenn Phillips
- Tim Seifert
- Nathan Smith
ODIs 1–3
India
16 players
Captain Shubman Gill
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Shreyas Iyer (vc)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Naman Dhir
- Anshul Kamboj
- Gurnoor Brar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna*
- Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand
14 players
Captain Mitchell Santner
- Mitchell Santner (c)
- Michael Bracewell
- Mark Chapman
- Devon Conway
- Jacob Duffy
- Matt Henry
- Kyle Jamieson
- Tom Latham (wk)Only here
- Daryl Mitchell
- Glenn Phillips
- Rachin RavindraOnly here
- Nathan Smith
- Will Young
- Blair Tickner
ODIs 4–5
India
16 players
Captain Shreyas Iyer
Changes from ODIs 1–3
In Tilak Varma, Kumar Kushagra, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur
Out Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Anshul Kamboj, Prasidh Krishna
- Shreyas Iyer (c)
- Ishan Kishan (wk, vc)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Tilak Varma
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Kumar Kushagra (wk)Only here
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Naman Dhir
- Auqib NabiOnly here
- Gurnoor Brar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mohammed Siraj
- Yash ThakurOnly here
- Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand
13 players
Captain Mitchell Santner
Changes from ODIs 1–3
In Finn Allen, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher, Lockie Ferguson, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Tim Seifert
Out Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith
- Mitchell Santner (c)
- Finn Allen
- Michael Bracewell
- Mark Chapman
- Kristian ClarkeOnly here
- Jacob Duffy
- Matt FisherOnly here
- Lockie Ferguson
- Mitch Hay (wk)Only here
- Nick KellyOnly here
- Tim Seifert (wk)
- Blair Tickner
- Will Young
Tests
India
16 players
Captain Shubman Gill
- Shubman Gill (c)
- KL Rahul (vc)
- Yashasvi JaiswalOnly here
- Sai SudharsanOnly here
- Devdutt PadikkalOnly here
- Rishabh Pant (wk)*Only here
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)Only here
- Ravindra JadejaOnly here
- Washington SundarOnly here
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Jasprit BumrahOnly here
- Mohammed Siraj
- Akash DeepOnly here
- Prasidh Krishna
- Anshul Kamboj
- Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand
Squad to be announced.
Squads as announced by BCCI (16 October 2026) and New Zealand Cricket. * Subject to fitness clearance. New Zealand’s Test squad is due in early November.
Reading the squads
India’s T20I squad mixes the World Cup-winning core, including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy, with new faces. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Naman Dhir are in, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns, his swing likely to be useful with a new ball in New Zealand.
India have split their ODI squad too. Shubman Gill captains the first three games before he and the Test specialists leave to prepare for Wellington; Shreyas Iyer takes over for the last two. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in for all five. Tilak Varma, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur and Kumar Kushagra come in for the final two, and Jasprit Bumrah returns for the Tests.
New Zealand have split their ODI selection. The first three games lean on experience, with Tom Latham, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The last two bring in pace and power, with Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, plus uncapped or lightly capped names such as Kristian Clarke, Mitch Hay and Nick Kelly.
Key battles
Five contests that could decide the tour
1 / 5
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Tests01
Shubman GillvsMatt Henry
India’s Test captain against the second-ranked Test bowler in the world, with a new ball on New Zealand pitches. Gill already holds the rivalry’s highest ODI and T20I scores.
Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval
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T20Is02
Abhishek SharmavsLockie Ferguson
India’s opener made a fifty in the World Cup final. Ferguson’s pace in the first six overs is New Zealand’s best way to slow him down.
Powerplay
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T20Is and ODIs03
Varun & KuldeepvsDaryl Mitchell
Mitchell has topped the ICC ODI batting rankings this year and plays spin as well as anyone. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are both in India’s T20I squad.
Middle overs
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ODIs04
Rohit & KohlivsNew Zealand
Both are in the squad for all five ODIs. Kohli is the leading ODI run-scorer in the rivalry.
4 – 15 November
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1st Test05
India’s battersvsWellington wind
The Basin Reserve is one of the windiest grounds in the game. Bowlers who can hold a line into it, and batters who can wait, tend to win Tests there.
19 – 23 November
Over two
Head to head: seventy years of the rivalry
India and New Zealand first played a Test in 1955. The records in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, and the matches that shaped them.
New Zealand arrived in India in late 1955 for a five-Test series and lost it 2-0. In Chennai (then Madras), Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy put on 413 for the first wicket. Twelve years later the roles flipped: Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s side won 3-1 in New Zealand, India’s first Test series win abroad.
Since then the rivalry has swung in long arcs. New Zealand have won the big knockouts as often as India, and India have struggled to win Test series in New Zealand. Start with the numbers, format by format.
219MatchesMen’s internationals since 1955
104India wins
79New Zealand wins
3–3ICC knockoutsLevel since 2000
Three eras of a rivalry
The Test years
19682009
For four decades this was a Test contest decided by home conditions: turners in India, seam and wind in New Zealand. India’s 1968 series win there took 41 years to repeat.
The one-day years
IndiaNZ
One-day cricket brought the sides closer. India have won more ODIs, 63 to 52, but New Zealand have tended to rise for the matches that mattered, and since 2019 those have come on the biggest stages.
Head to head
India v New Zealand, by the numbers
All formats · 219 matches
India lead 104 to 79 across seven decades. That overall number hides three very different contests.
Who wins, by format
Share of all men’s internationals between the sides
222716
63852
19111
Tests · 65 matches
The tightest format. New Zealand have won the last three, all in India in 2024.
222716
Records
- Most runs1,659Rahul Dravid
- Most wickets75R Ashwin
- Highest score302Brendon McCullum
- Best bowling10/119Ajaz Patel
- India’s best in NZ8/76Erapalli Prasanna
Best and worst days
583/7 decAhmedabad, 1999
Highest total
680/8 decWellington, 2014
46Bengaluru, 2024
Lowest total
62Mumbai, 2021
262/5Bengaluru, 2012
Highest successful chase
215/6Wellington, 1998
ODIs · 123 matches
India’s best format in the rivalry: 63 wins to 52.
63852
Records
- Most runs1,897Virat Kohli
- Most wickets51Javagal Srinath
- Highest score208Shubman Gill
- Best bowling7/57Mohammed Shami
- Best for New Zealand6/19Shane Bond
Best and worst days
397/4Mumbai, 2023
Highest total
349/9Rajkot, 1999
88Dambulla, 2010
Lowest total
79Visakhapatnam, 2016
321/5Bengaluru, 2010
Highest successful chase
348/6Hamilton, 2020
T20Is · 31 matches
India have won 19 of 31, including the 2026 World Cup final by 96 runs.
19111
Records
- Most runs526Suryakumar Yadav
- Most wickets30Ish Sodhi
- Highest score126*Shubman Gill
- World Cup final255/5India
Best and worst days
271/5Thiruvananthapuram, 2026
Highest total
225Thiruvananthapuram, 2026
79Nagpur, 2016
Lowest total
66Ahmedabad, 2023
209/3Raipur, 2026
Highest successful chase
166/3Christchurch, 2009
Last five meetings in each format
Newest first
2026 so far
Meetings this calendar year, before the tour
India won the home series 4-1, then the World Cup final.
New Zealand won the series in India 2-1.
No Tests yet this year. The last three, in India in 2024, all went to New Zealand.
Momentum: the last 12 meetings
The line climbs with each India win and falls with each New Zealand win, oldest to newest
Recent meetings
Show all 12 meetings
Figures to 16 October 2026, from TOI’s India v New Zealand head-to-head data. In T20Is, matches decided by a super over count as wins; one tie had no super over.
Over three
ICC knockouts
Level since 2000
3–3India – New Zealand, since 2000
ICC event records include the 2021 WTC final among knockouts.
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Chris Cairns’ unbeaten hundred won the ICC KnockOut final, New Zealand’s first global trophy.
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The two-day World Cup semi-final. Guptill’s throw ran out Dhoni and New Zealand won by 18 runs.
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New Zealand won the first World Test Championship final by eight wickets.
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Kohli’s 50th ODI hundred and Shami’s 7 for 57 took India to the World Cup final.
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India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the Champions Trophy final.
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India won the T20 World Cup final by 96 runs, their first T20 World Cup win over New Zealand.
At the World Cups and ICC knockouts
Wins in ICC events, India first
Finals and semi-finals, including the WTC final
All meetings, 1975 to 2023
All meetings, 2007 to 2026
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Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
Captain 1962–75
Led India to their first series win abroad: 3-1 in New Zealand, 1968.
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MS Dhoni
Captain 2007–17
Won the 2009 Test series in New Zealand, as well as the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
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Virat Kohli
Captain 2014–22
Beat Williamson in the 2008 Under-19 semi-final, then led India against him in the 2021 WTC final.
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Rohit Sharma
Captain 2021–25
Won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, beating New Zealand in the final.
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Suryakumar Yadav
Captain 2024–26
Captain when India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup final.
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Shubman Gill
Captain Test and ODI captain
Leads India in the Tests and the first three ODIs on this tour. Holds the rivalry’s top ODI and T20I scores.
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Stephen Fleming
Captain 1997–2007
Won the 2000 ICC KnockOut, beating India in the final in Nairobi.
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Brendon McCullum
Captain 2012–16
Made 302 against India in 2014 and led New Zealand to the 2015 World Cup final.
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Kane Williamson
Captain 2016–22
Beat India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the 2021 WTC final.
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Tom Latham
Captain Test captain
Led the 3-0 Test series win in India in 2024.
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Mitchell Santner
Captain White-ball captain
Led New Zealand to the 2026 T20 World Cup final. Captains the T20Is and ODIs on this tour.
Heroes by format
Who won it, Test, ODI and T20I
Pick a format. The scoreboard shows who leads it, then the players behind each side’s biggest days. Figures are for India v New Zealand matches unless stated.
Tests
India 22Drawn 27New Zealand 16
India lead the head-to-head, but New Zealand have won the last three Tests between the sides.
India22wins
75Test wickets v NZ
R Ashwin
The most wickets in the rivalry, at an average of 18.53.
1,659Test runs v NZ
Rahul Dravid
The most runs in the rivalry, with six hundreds.
6/63Hamilton, 2009
Harbhajan Singh
Bowled India to their last Test win in New Zealand.
New Zealand16wins
302Wellington, 2014
Brendon McCullum
New Zealand’s first Test triple century, batting India out of a match they led.
10/119Mumbai, 2021
Ajaz Patel
All ten wickets in an innings, only the third bowler in Test history to do it.
5/31WTC final, Southampton, 2021
Kyle Jamieson
Player of the Match as New Zealand became the first Test world champions.
ODIs
India 63Tied 8New Zealand 52
India lead by 11. New Zealand won the most recent series, 2-1 in India in January.
India63wins
1,897ODI runs v NZ
Virat Kohli
Seven hundreds, including his record 50th in the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
208Hyderabad, 2023
Shubman Gill
The highest ODI score in the rivalry.
7/572023 World Cup semi-final, Mumbai
Mohammed Shami
The best ODI figures in the rivalry, on the night India reached the final.
51ODI wickets v NZ
Javagal Srinath
The most ODI wickets in the rivalry.
New Zealand52wins
6/19Bulawayo, 2005
Shane Bond
New Zealand’s best ODI figures against India.
102*ICC KnockOut final, Nairobi, 2000
Chris Cairns
His unbeaten hundred won New Zealand their first global trophy.
1342023 World Cup semi-final, Mumbai
Daryl Mitchell
A hundred in a losing cause as New Zealand chased 398.
Direct hit2019 World Cup semi-final, Manchester
Martin Guptill
His throw from the deep ran out MS Dhoni and sent New Zealand to the final.
T20Is
India 19Tied 1New Zealand 11
India lead by eight, and beat New Zealand in the World Cup final in March.
India19wins
526T20I runs v NZ
Suryakumar Yadav
The most in the rivalry, including 111 not out at Bay Oval in 2022.
126*Ahmedabad, 2023
Shubman Gill
The highest T20I score in the rivalry.
6, 6Super over, Hamilton, 2020
Rohit Sharma
Hit the last two balls of the super over for six to win India’s first T20I series in New Zealand.
New Zealand11wins
30T20I wickets v India
Ish Sodhi
The most T20I wickets in the rivalry.
Hat-trickBay Oval, 2022
Tim Southee
Three wickets in three balls in the final over.
72Off 40 balls, Hamilton, 2019
Colin Munro
Player of the Match as New Zealand won the series decider by four runs.
Over five · Great controversies
Five moments that still start arguments
A refused single, a fielding graphic, a send-off, the light and a review. What happened, and why people still disagree.
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Case 01
Hamilton · 10 February 2019 · 3rd T20I
The non-strike
New Zealand won by 4 runs
The single that wasn’t taken
What happened
India needed 16 off the last over, chasing 213 for the series. Off the third ball Dinesh Karthik turned down a single and sent back Krunal Pandya, who had 26 off 13 balls. Karthik hit the last ball for six, but India lost by four runs and the series 2-1.
Why it’s still argued
Karthik said afterwards that he had backed himself to hit a six. Whether the single would have changed the result is still argued over.
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Case 02
Manchester · 10 July 2019 · World Cup semi-final
The run-out
Fact-checks: delivery was legal
Six outside the circle?
What happened
Martin Guptill’s direct hit from the deep ran out MS Dhoni and left India needing 25 off nine balls. A broadcast graphic before the delivery seemed to show six New Zealand fielders outside the circle, one more than allowed, and fans called it a no-ball.
Why it’s still argued
Ball-by-ball checks of the footage found five fielders out, and the graphic was wrong. A batter can be run out off a no-ball anyway. It was Dhoni’s last international innings.
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Case 03
Christchurch · 1 March 2020 · 2nd Test
The celebration
Match referee: no action
The send-off
What happened
Virat Kohli greeted Kane Williamson’s dismissal with a loud send-off from the slips. When Tom Latham was bowled, he turned to a section of the crowd with a finger to his lips.
Why it’s still argued
Asked about it after India’s seven-wicket defeat, Kohli told the reporter this was not the place to create controversy and said the match referee had no issue. Williamson put it down to Kohli’s passion.
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Case 04
Kanpur · 29 November 2021 · 1st Test
The last wicket
Bad light: match drawn
Saved by the light
What happened
Chasing 284, New Zealand were 155 for 9 with about nine overs left. Debutant Rachin Ravindra and No. 11 Ajaz Patel blocked out 52 balls before the umpires took the players off for bad light at 165 for 9.
Why it’s still argued
India were one wicket from victory in fading light. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane said the umpires had made the right call, and India won the next Test in Mumbai by 372 runs.
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Case 05
Mumbai · 3 November 2024 · 3rd Test
The review
Not out, overturned to out
Bat, pad or both?
What happened
Chasing 147, India were 29 for 5 before Rishabh Pant’s 64 off 57 balls brought them back. Given not out caught behind off Ajaz Patel, he was sent off on review after UltraEdge showed a spike.
Why it’s still argued
The spike came as bat brushed pad, and Rohit Sharma said the bat was clearly close to the pad. India lost by 25 runs, completing New Zealand’s 3-0 sweep.
Over six
Across the boundary
For two teams that fight this hard, the links between them run unusually deep.
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Wankhede Stadium · 2021
Born in Mumbai. Ten wickets in Mumbai.
Ajaz Patel left Mumbai for New Zealand as a child. In December 2021 he took all ten in an innings at the Wankhede, 10 for 119.
Ajaz Patel · New Zealand spinner
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Kohli and Williamson
Kohli. Williamson. Captains since 2008.
They led India and New Zealand against each other in the semi-final of the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. India won and went on to take the title. They later captained their countries’ senior Test sides.
Under-19 World Cup · Kuala Lumpur, 2008
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Stephen Fleming · Chennai
A Kiwi in yellow.
Stephen Fleming, who beat India in the 2000 final as captain, has been head coach of Chennai Super Kings since 2009.
Stephen Fleming · former New Zealand captain
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Ish Sodhi · New Zealand
Born in Ludhiana. 30 wickets against India.
Ish Sodhi moved to Auckland as a child. No one has taken more T20I wickets in this rivalry.
Ish Sodhi · New Zealand leg-spinner
Friends in the IPL,
rivals in between
Game · not a statistic
Face the last over
Six balls, one fictional batter: you. Time your shot as the ball reaches the crease. Nothing you score here is a cricket record or a reported figure.
0runs0 / 6 balls
Press Bowl. As the red ball reaches the gold band, tap Swing or the pitch. Keyboard: Space or Enter.
Motion is reduced, so choose a shot for each ball:
