Are New Zealand the new sticky wicket for Indian cricket? Here’s what ICC tournament data tells us

New Delhi: Come Sunday, Rohit Sharma and his team will seemingly have revenge on their minds as Team India clash with New Zealand in Dharamsala in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. And, rightly so. 

The pain of losing out to the Black Caps despite the heroics of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the first semi-final of the 2019 edition at Old Trafford, Manchester was bitter for the Men in Blue and the country.

Four years on, in the ongoing World Cup, India comprehensively defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in front of a packed house in Ahmedabad. The stage is now set for India to renew its rivalry with New Zealand in the cricket’s marquee tournament. 

New Zealand is the new Pakistan for Team India when it comes to cricket rivalry. Guess why? India has just three wins out of the eight matches they have played against the Kiwis in the ODI format across World Cups.

Compare this with India’s record against their traditional rival — a formidable 8-0 win against Pakistan in the ODI World Cups. Barring one loss in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, the Men in Blue have a record of 5-1 out of seven games (one ended in a tie) in the shortest format of the game in World Cups.

ThePrint looks at how the rivalry has now shifted from the neighbouring country to New Zealand over the years.

India Vs Pakistan

Traditionally, any talk of India-Pakistan rivalry across all cricket formats revolves around the former’s batting might against the unending bowling reservoirs of the latter. 

Even till the early 2000s, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S Laxman and Virender Sehwag had to face the guiles of fast bowlers Wasim Wakram, Waqar Yunus and Shoaib Akhtar. 

The Pakistani batting, too, was not to be taken lightly with the likes of Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq proving to be more than handy against Indian bowling, which was then not as versatile, strong as it is now.

But over the last decade, whenever the two teams clashed in International Cricket Council (ICC) events, it has been mostly a one-sided game, at least in One Day Internationals (ODIs).

There have been some close games in the T20 format, but India always handled their nerves better to come out on the winning side on most occasions. The only game that Pakistan have won in the World Cups was in October 2021, courtesy their bowling arsenal.

In the recent past, India would post big scores batting first and then outsmart its rival, a template that has played out in ODIs. What has changed now is India’s much improved bowling attack, especially in seam department, that has often got the better of Pakistan’s batting unit, which is dependent on stars such as Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan.

Take the latest World Cup game for reference. India enforced an abject collapse of the Pakistan middle order to bundle them out for a paltry 191 runs. Rohit then plundered 86 runs off 63 balls to ensure a 7-wicket win.

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Enter the Black Caps

As India vs Pakistan games have failed to live up to the expectations of fans from both sides, a new challenger has emerged for the Men in Blue — the Black Caps.

The last time India won against New Zealand in the World Cups — be it ODIs or Twenty20s — was way back under Sourav Ganguly in 2003 in Pretoria, South Africa.

Since then, India have gone on to be crowned the world champions twice in 2007 (T20) and 2011 (ODI), and won the Champions Trophy in 2013, but they have not beaten New Zealand in World Cups in the last two decades.

When India won the 2007 T20 World Cup in its inaugural edition in South Africa, they were defeated in only one game — New Zealand. The Daniel Vettori-led side won by 10 runs at Johannesburg.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had a flying start but the team crumbled while chasing a target of 191 runs once the duo was back to pavilion.

That year, India defeated Pakistan in a bowl out after the main game ended in a tie to become the inaugural T20 world champions.

Nine years later, India and New Zealand squared off in the opening game of the 2016 T20 World Cup in Nagpur. On a dry surface, the Black Caps could not handle sharp spin from spinners and cutters from pacers and were restricted to 126 runs. 

The target was not high, but it looked challenging from the outset on that surface. The fears came true: India lost six wickets inside 10 overs and was eventually bundled out for an embarrassing 79 runs to the Kane Williamson-led side.

At the same tournament, Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to a mere 118 on a fairly true surface at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Pakistan pacers caused some hiccups but the class of Virat Kohli (55 not out) ensured India’s win at the end.

In the 2021 T20 World Cup at Dubai, the Kiwis inflicted an 8-wicket defeat on India in their Super 12 match. Chasing 111 runs to win, New Zealand reached the target without any huff and puff.

But, the most excruciating defeat in the hands of Kiwis came in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final when Dhoni, arguably India’s biggest match-winner in the 50-over format, was denied the opportunity to finish the game in his last international appearance for the Indian men’s cricket team.

As Dhoni fell short of the crease while trying to complete the second run, India’s hope of reaching the final was snuffed out by the Kiwis.

WHAT A MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE!

Martin Guptill was 🔛🎯 to run out MS Dhoni and help send New Zealand to their second consecutive @cricketworldcup final! #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/i84pTIrYbk

— ICC (@ICC) July 10, 2019

The blemish is not just restricted to white ball tournaments. In the inaugural 2021 ICC World Test Championship final, the Virat Kohli-led side faced New Zealand at the Rose Bowl, England. A middle-order collapse in the second innings killed India’s chances to hand Kane Williamson’s side a win by 8 wickets.

New Zealand’s stranglehold is independent of the playing conditions. While spinners suffocated Indian batters on a dry, dusty surface in Nagpur in 2016, Kiwi seamers dismantled the Indian batting lineup of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul on a seamer-friendly surface in Manchester in 2019.

‘Clockwork team, rattled India’

Veteran cricket journalist Sharda Ugra told ThePrint that New Zealand have a “clockwork” approach to their game and in England, they had the bowling attack that dismissed the top order and rattled India to leave them beyond repair.

She added that the history between the two sides doesn’t dictate the outcome of the next game, but when a side loses against a particular side consistently, the losing side begins to feel that the opposition has got their numbers. One-sided history makes a difference when matches become close and players are needed to hold on to their nerves in tough contests.

“The other thing that’s unique about New Zealand is that they are able to play tournament cricket with great consistency. They have not been able to win World Cup as such but they have their World Cup record only second to India if you see the number of World Cup games they have won,” Ugra told ThePrint.

“They are playing with an almost clockwork approach and in England of course it suited them to play that way. They have the kind of bowlers to make inroads into the Indian top order which has helped them in playing in big matches and rattled Indians at times from where they have found it difficult to recover in a tournament. Then it tends to build up against the team that loses and they begin to feel that the opposition has their numbers. This also builds up because India lost to them in the semi-finals. It does not really happen every time but history always tends to work when it gets tight in knockout games,” she added.

As India and New Zealand prepare to meet Sunday, Rohit and his men will have to consider that Tom Latham will be leading a side that thrashed defending champions England by 9 wickets. The Kiwis have gone on to win against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Similarly, the Men in Blue are in red hot form after defeating Australia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh apart from Pakistan. Sunday’s game will mark another chapter in the rivalry between two sides in World Cups. 

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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