India vs New Zealand: From Sachin Tendulkar’s Exploits to T20 Super Over Thrillers

India and New Zealand share a rich cricketing history filled with memorable performances, landmark victories and dramatic finishes. One of India’s earliest major milestones on New Zealand soil came in 1968, when the team led by Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi won the Test series 3–1, securing India’s first-ever Test series victory overseas. New Zealand also featured in India’s first ODI World Cup match in 1975, winning by four wickets in Manchester. In the 1987 World Cup, Chetan Sharma became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in ODI World Cup history during a match against New Zealand in Nagpur. Another memorable moment came in 1994, when Sachin Tendulkar opened the batting in an ODI for the first time against New Zealand in Auckland, scoring 82 off 49 balls. India later secured its first ODI series victory in New Zealand in 2009 under MS Dhoni, winning the five-match series 3–1, with one match producing no result.

The rivalry has also produced extraordinary batting displays and unforgettable setbacks. In 2009, Tendulkar’s unbeaten 163 helped India post 392/4 against New Zealand in Christchurch. Five years later, Brendon McCullum scored 302 in Wellington, becoming the first New Zealand batter to register a Test triple-century. India endured a difficult outing in Hamilton in 2019, when it was bowled out for just 92 in an ODI, with Trent Boult taking five wickets for 21 runs. New Zealand also defeated India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, which stretched across two days because of rain and became MS Dhoni’s final international match. In T20 cricket, India won consecutive Super Over thrillers against New Zealand in 2020 and went on to complete a historic 5–0 clean sweep in the five-match T20I series on New Zealand soil. These milestones underline the competitive nature of the rivalry as the teams prepare for another chapter.