India vs New Zealand T20I history reveals five straight defeats before India claimed their first win in Delhi in 2017, ahead of the October 22 series
New Delhi: India will begin their five-match T20I series against New Zealand on October 22, 2026, in Christchurch. The rivalry carries a remarkable story: India lost their first five T20Is against New Zealand and waited nearly a decade to claim their first victory. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan finally ended that wait in Delhi on November 1, 2017, with a commanding batting performance. As the teams prepare to meet again, that breakthrough offers a reminder of how dramatically the rivalry has changed.
The series at a glance
India and New Zealand will play five T20Is across four cities during the upcoming series. Shreyas Iyer will captain India, while Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand.
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | October 22 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch |
| 2nd T20I | October 24 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch |
| 3rd T20I | October 27 | Wellington |
| 4th T20I | October 30 | Auckland |
| 5th T20I | November 1 | Hamilton |
All five matches will start at 12:30 PM IST. India will enter the series as T20 World Cup champions, while the opening two matches will introduce them to Hagley Oval, where they have never played a T20I. The wider tour will also feature five ODIs and two Test matches.
2007: The first meeting, in Johannesburg
India and New Zealand first faced each other in men’s T20I cricket on September 16, 2007, during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. New Zealand won by 10 runs in Johannesburg and handed India their first defeat in the format against the Black Caps.
New Zealand scored 190 runs, with Brendon McCullum making 45, Craig McMillan scoring 44 and Jacob Oram adding 35. Gautam Gambhir led India’s reply with 51, while Virender Sehwag contributed 40. Daniel Vettori took four wickets for 20 runs and earned Player of the Match honours.
India finished on 180/9. Although India went on to win the tournament, they could not overcome New Zealand in their first T20I meeting. That result began a difficult period for India in the rivalry.
A decade of defeats: 2009, 2012 and 2016
India continued to struggle against New Zealand over the next nine years. The teams met in New Zealand, India and the 2016 T20 World Cup, but India failed to secure a victory in their first five completed encounters.
| Date | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| September 16, 2007 | Johannesburg | New Zealand won by 10 runs |
| February 25, 2009 | Christchurch | New Zealand won by 7 wickets |
| February 27, 2009 | Wellington | New Zealand won by 5 wickets |
| September 11, 2012 | Chennai | New Zealand won by 1 run |
| March 15, 2016 | Nagpur | — |
New Zealand won by 47 runs
New Zealand chased down India’s targets in both matches during the 2009 tour. They then edged India by one run in Chennai in 2012 before securing a 47-run victory in Nagpur during the 2016 T20 World Cup.
India also played a T20I against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam in 2012, but the match ended without a result. Officials could not declare a winner because the game did not produce a completed result. This explains why the teams had played six times before India finally won.
The one-run heartbreak in Chennai
New Zealand’s one-run victory in Chennai on September 11, 2012, gave India another painful defeat. India came close to ending their losing run, but New Zealand held on to win the contest by the narrowest possible margin.
The result showed how difficult India found it to finish matches against New Zealand during that period. Even when the teams produced a close contest, India could not find the decisive moment that would end their wait.
November 1, 2017: The first win, in Delhi
India finally broke the sequence at Feroz Shah Kotla, now known as Arun Jaitley Stadium, on November 1, 2017. In the first T20I of New Zealand’s tour of India, the hosts scored 202/3 and defeated the visitors by 53 runs.
Rohit Sharma smashed 80 off 55 balls, hitting six fours and four sixes. Shikhar Dhawan matched Rohit’s score with 80 off 52 deliveries, including 10 fours and two sixes. Virat Kohli then struck an unbeaten 26 off just 11 balls to lift India beyond the 200-run mark.
India recorded their highest T20I total against New Zealand at that time. Dhawan also earned Player of the Match honours after producing a career-best T20I score at that stage of his career.
The victory ended India’s run of five consecutive defeats against New Zealand and gave the team a breakthrough they had pursued since 2007.
Dropped catches and a record opening stand
New Zealand missed two crucial chances during India’s innings. Mitchell Santner dropped Dhawan on eight at cover, while Tim Southee dropped Rohit on 16 at long-off. Both Indian batters capitalised on those reprieves and went on to score 80 runs each.
Rohit and Dhawan shared 158 runs for the opening wicket. An opening stand refers to the partnership between the two batters who begin an innings. Their partnership gave India a strong platform and helped the team set a challenging target.
The 158-run stand became India’s highest partnership for any wicket in T20Is at that time. It surpassed Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag’s 136-run partnership against England in Durban in 2007.
New Zealand could not match India’s batting performance. Tom Latham scored 39, but the visitors finished on 149/8. Axar Patel took two wickets in one over, while Ish Sodhi also claimed two wickets in an over.
Ashish Nehra’s farewell
The Delhi match also marked Ashish Nehra’s final international appearance. The left-arm fast bowler played his last game at his home ground and finished with figures of 4-0-29-0.
Nehra bowled the final over of New Zealand’s innings. After the match, his teammates carried him around the ground in a lap of honour, giving the veteran bowler an emotional farewell.
The match also marked Shreyas Iyer’s T20I debut, adding another milestone to a contest that combined India’s first victory against New Zealand with the end of Nehra’s international career.
How the rivalry has changed since
India gradually changed the direction of the rivalry after their 2017 breakthrough. The teams continued to compete closely, but India established a stronger position in T20I cricket against New Zealand.
During their 2020 tour of New Zealand, India won all five T20Is. Two matches ended in ties before India won the Super Overs, a one-over contest that decides a match when both teams finish with the same score.
India now lead the rivalry comfortably. Their early struggles remain part of the story, but the results since 2017 show how much the balance has shifted.
India’s record in New Zealand
India have won five of their first 12 men’s T20Is in New Zealand, according to figures reported by Outlook India. Rohit Sharma leads India’s run-scorers in the country with 236 runs. Suryakumar Yadav holds India’s highest individual T20I score there with an unbeaten 111, while Shardul Thakur leads India’s wicket-takers with eight wickets.
India have also avoided a T20I defeat in New Zealand since February 2019, according to SportsAdda. That run adds context to the upcoming series, although previous results cannot determine the outcome of future matches.
What to watch in Christchurch
India will face an unfamiliar challenge when they play their first T20I at Hagley Oval on October 22. The teams will return to the Christchurch venue on October 24 before moving to Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.
Iyer will lead India’s T20 World Cup-winning side, while Santner will captain New Zealand on home soil. The opening matches will test how quickly both teams adapt to the conditions and establish their rhythm in the series.
India began this rivalry with a defeat in Johannesburg in 2007 and ended their long wait with a victory in Delhi in 2017. The teams will begin their next chapter in Christchurch on October 22.
