Southampton, (Asian independent) India against New Zealand in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments in the last few years are like Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal on clay courts of the French Open, never finding a way to win. On Wednesday, the Kiwis inflicted the sixth successive defeat on India in ICC tournaments by winning the World Test Championship final.
The last time India managed to beat New Zealand was back in the 2003 50-over World Cup under Sourav Ganguly when left-arm pace bowler Zaheer Khan took four wickets as India skittled out the Kiwis for 146 and won by seven wickets in Centurion.
Since then, it has been all New Zealand as they have scored wins over India in T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup as well as the World Test Championship matches.
Here is a look at where India have lost to New Zealand over the last 13-plus years in ICC tournaments:
2007 World T20, league match, Johannesburg:
The Kiwis scored 190 batting first with Brendon McCullum scoring 45 (31 balls) and Craig McMillan hitting 44 (off 23 balls). In response, India finished 10 runs short of the target at 180/9 in 20 overs. Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori picked up four wickets for 20 runs to put in a man-of-the-match performance.
2016 T20 World Cup Super-10 match, Nagpur:
Indians bowled tightly to restrict New Zealand to 126/7 in 20 overs on a pitch that helped spinners. Corey Anderson, with 34 off 42 balls, and Luke Ronchi (21 off 11) were the only noteworthy contributors for New Zealand. However, the visitors’ spin trio Nathan McCullum, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi shared nine wickets to skittle out India for 79. The Kiwis won by 47 runs.
2019 50-over World Cup semi-final:
One of the most disappointing losses for India. Having topped the league table with 15 points, the Virat Kohli-led team was favourite to win the tie played over two days due to inclement weather. Thanks to skipper Kane Williamson (67 off 95) and Ross Taylor (74 off 90), the Kiwis made 239. India’s batting, however, fell apart when they batted on the second day (reserve day), losing the first three wickets for five runs. Despite Ravindra Jadeja’s 77 off 59 balls, India were all out for 221 and ended 18 runs short.
WTC two-Test series in New Zealand, 2020:
India lost the first Test in Wellington by 10 wickets. Batting first, they folded for 165 in 68.1 overs as Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson picked up four wickets each. The Kiwis made 348 with the help of 89 from skipper Kane Williamson. The 183-run lead proved too much for India as they lost seven wickets in the second innings before they could clear the lead.
India lost the second Test in Christchurch by seven wickets. Even though they put up a better first innings score (242) this time and took a seven-run lead thanks to Mohammed Shami’s four-wicket and Jasprit Bumrah’s three-wicket hauls, they were crushed in the match. The batting crumbled for 124 in the second innings against the pace of Tim Southee (3/36) and Trent Boult (4/28). The 132-run target proved to be a cakewalk for the Kiwis.
WTC final, Southampton 2021:
The most recent match that ended on Wednesday looked like it would end in a draw. However, New Zealand’s four-pronged pace attack turned the tide in their team’s favour, dismissing India for a paltry 170 after they had resumed the sixth – reserve – day’s play at 64/2. The small target of 139 proved to be a cakewalk as both Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson shared an unbeaten 96-run partnership for the third wicket to take their team home.
