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New Zealand hands India a reality check with a historic series win on Indian soil, marking tough defeats across various formats.
New Zealand players celebrates after winning the match during day 3 of the 2nd Test Match. (Image: Sportzpics)
New Zealand continues to find a way to deliver crushing defeats to India. This time around, the Kiwis managed to create history by beating the dominant Indian side with a first series victory on Indian soil in 69 years.
An Indian side that has been historically dominant for the past 12 years at home was given a harsh reality check by the Kiwis who managed to take the win in the first two Tests to claim the series victory, with the final game to spare.
Let us have a look at some of the toughest defeats New Zealand has handed to India in recent times.
IND vs NZ, 2021 T20 World Cup Group Stage
Result: New Zealand won by 8 wickets (33 balls to spare)
The Indian side was already bruised after their defeat to rivals Pakistan in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2021, held in the UAE. However, the Kiwis managed to rub salt into India’s wounds as they managed to restrict them to just 110/7 in 20 overs. India was all over the place when it came to their batting order as Rohit Sharma was sent in at number three which was bizarre.
Nonetheless, Tim Southee and Trent Boult rocked the Indian batting unit in the powerplay followed by Ish Sodhi’s leg-spin in the middle stages. Boult managed to keep the Indian batters quiet in the death overs as well to pile on the misery as New Zealand chased down the score in 14.3 overs with the loss of two wickets.
IND vs NZ, 2019 ODI World Cup Semi-Final
Result: New Zealand won by 18 runs
The 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final clash hurt the Indian unit. With the tournament being MS Dhoni’s last, many hoped that an all-star Indian unit could go all the way. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Shami all firing in the tournament, many expected the Indian side to get the better of New Zealand. Thanks to some fine knocks by Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, the Kiwis set a target of 239 runs.
However, the second innings saw the Indian top-order of KL Rahul, Rohit and Kohli being dismissed for just five runs with Matt Henry striking twice and Trent Boult taking the big fish in Kohli. India’s middle-order tried to pull it together as Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya looked to come up with a partnership, but Mitchell Santner managed to get them both out. However, MS Dhoni’s experience, coupled with Ravindra Jadeja’s contributions with the bat, saw the Indian team slowly make their way but that unfortunate run-out meant the end of Dhoni’s international career, on a heartbreaking note.
IND vs NZ, World Test Championship 2019-2021 Final
Result: New Zealand won by 8 wickets
Under Virat Kohli’s tenure as captain of the Indian side, the inaugural World Test Championship Final proved to be the chance to get silverware. But the Kiwis showed that they are a force to be taken seriously. Thanks to cameos from Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, India posted a score of 217, but no one was able to get that big score to put the side in front. Kyle Jamieson proved to be a handful under English conditions.
New Zealand’s batters took the game by the scruff of the neck as Devon Conway scored a half-century while Williamson missed out on his fifty by one run, coupled with some contributions from the lower-middle order to help the side take a lead.
However, India’s batting collapse proved to be costly as New Zealand’s four-man pace attack ran through the Indian batting order, bundling them out for just 170 runs to claim the WTC title.
IND vs NZ, Test Series in India, 2024
Result: New Zealand won the series 2-0 with one game remaining.
Team India has been historically dominant in Tests under home conditions. But their 12-year-long series-winning streak was laid to rest as New Zealand pummeled the Indian side with dominant performances in the first two Tests.
The first game in Bengaluru saw India being bundled out for their record-lowest score of 46 runs at home, in the first innings which proved to cost them in the opening Test.
In the second game, which had more spin-friendly conditions, India was exposed to their deficiencies in handling spin as Mitchell Santner ran riot with 13 wickets across both innings to help secure a historic series victory.
