India vs New Zealand: Seventy years of a rivalry that keeps turning, and the 2026 tour

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

ODI rankingIndia first, New Zealand second

12345

ICC points: India 115, New Zealand 109.India +6

Test rankingIndia fourth, New Zealand third

12345

ICC points: India 105, New Zealand 106.New Zealand +1

T20I rankingIndia second, New Zealand fourth

12345

ICC points: India 267, New Zealand 247.India +20

WTC 2025–27India fifth (68 pts), New Zealand second

12345

–

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.

See the full schedule →

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.

01

Christchurch

Hagley Oval

This tour: 1st & 2nd T20I · 2nd Test

Tests1 played · IND 0 · NZ 1

T20Is0 played · IND 0 · NZ 0

02

Wellington

Basin Reserve

This tour: 1st Test

Tests8 played · IND 1 · NZ 5 · D 2

03

Wellington

Wellington Regional Stadium

This tour: 3rd T20I · 2nd ODI

T20Is3 played · IND 1 · NZ 2

04

Auckland

Eden Park

This tour: 4th T20I · 1st ODI

Tests5 played · IND 2 · NZ 1 · D 2

T20Is3 played · IND 3 · NZ 0

05

Hamilton

Seddon Park

This tour: 5th T20I · 3rd ODI

Tests4 played · IND 1 · NZ 1 · D 2

T20Is2 played · IND 1 · NZ 1

06

Mount Maunganui

Bay Oval

This tour: 4th & 5th ODI

T20Is2 played · IND 2 · NZ 0

Squads

Who is on the plane

T20Is

ODIs 1–3

ODIs 4–5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

TOI Sports Desk · Updated 19 October 2026

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

41 yearsbetween India series wins in New Zealand

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

63–52ODI wins, India v New Zealand

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

Tests 65

222716

ODIs 123

63852

T20Is 31

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

T20Is in 20265 – 1INDINDINDNZINDIND

India won the home series 4-1, then the World Cup final.

ODIs in 20261 – 2INDNZNZ

New Zealand won the series in India 2-1.

Tests in 2026–

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.

Full head-to-head on TOI

Over three

ICC knockouts

Level since 2000

3–3India – New Zealand, since 2000

ICC event records include the 2021 WTC final among knockouts.

Chris Cairns’ unbeaten hundred won the ICC KnockOut final, New Zealand’s first global trophy.

The two-day World Cup semi-final. Guptill’s throw ran out Dhoni and New Zealand won by 18 runs.

New Zealand won the first World Test Championship final by eight wickets.

Kohli’s 50th ODI hundred and Shami’s 7 for 57 took India to the World Cup final.

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the Champions Trophy final.

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

ICC knockouts3–3200020192021202320252026

Finals and semi-finals, including the WTC final

ODI World Cup5–5 +1 NR19751979198719871992199920032019201920232023

All meetings, 1975 to 2023

T20 World Cup1–32007201620212026

All meetings, 2007 to 2026

01India

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

Captain 1962–75

Led India to their first series win abroad: 3-1 in New Zealand, 1968.

02India

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.

03India

Virat Kohli

Captain 2014–22

Beat Williamson in the 2008 Under-19 semi-final, then led India against him in the 2021 WTC final.

04India

Rohit Sharma

Captain 2021–25

Won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, beating New Zealand in the final.

05India

Suryakumar Yadav

Captain 2024–26

Captain when India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup final.

06India

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.

07New Zealand

Stephen Fleming

Captain 1997–2007

Won the 2000 ICC KnockOut, beating India in the final in Nairobi.

08New Zealand

Brendon McCullum

Captain 2012–16

Made 302 against India in 2014 and led New Zealand to the 2015 World Cup final.

09New Zealand

Kane Williamson

Captain 2016–22

Beat India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the 2021 WTC final.

10New Zealand

Tom Latham

Captain Test captain

Led the 3-0 Test series win in India in 2024.

11New Zealand

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.