India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Timeline
The following is a Timeline of International matches played between the India national cricket team and the New Zealand national cricket team spanning over 70 years since their first Test meeting in 1955. The two nations subsequently developed a fierce and competitive rivalry across all three major formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is that led to several iconic encounters in World Cup and ICC tournaments. India enjoyed their early days in Test matches but New Zealand became the ICC eliminators or frog team versus India. So too has been the increasing heat of recent times, with New Zealand winning a 2021 World Test Championship final and then not long after a landmark Test series on Indian soil since for India.
India vs New Zealand Timeline: Major Events
| Year | Major Event |
| 1955 | India and New Zealand played their first Test match |
| 1955-56 | India won their first Test series against New Zealand |
| 1968 | India won their first Test series in New Zealand |
| 1975 | New Zealand won the first World Cup meeting |
| 1987 | India recorded their first World Cup win over New Zealand |
| 2000 | New Zealand defeated India in the Champions Trophy final |
| 2009 | India won a Test series in New Zealand after 41 years |
| 2019 | New Zealand defeated India in the World Cup semi-final |
| 2020 | India won the T20I series 5-0 in New Zealand |
| 2021 | New Zealand won the inaugural World Test Championship final |
| 2023 | India defeated New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final |
| 2024 | New Zealand won a Test series 3-0 in India |
| 2025 | India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final |
| 2026 | New Zealand won their first ODI series in India |
| 2026 | India defeated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final |
1955: India and New Zealand Play Their First Test
India and New Zealand started their cricketing rivalry in November 1955 when New Zealand toured India for a five-Test series. Hyderabad: Nov 19 – 24, 1955: India 498/4 (d) (P. Umrigar, V. Manjrekar) drew with England New Zealand managed 326 with the bat in their first essay and had to follow on, but still managed to hold on for a draw in the second innings. India went on to win the series 2–0, with India winning the fifth Test at Madras by an innings-and-109-runs. It was a series that laid the groundwork of a rivalry which in time would span several hundred international matches across all formats. Test cricket overshadowed the early meetings as limited-overs international cricket had not evolved into the worldwide format that it later would.
1968: India Win Their First Test Series in New Zealand
The 1967-68 tour marked India’s first major triumph on New Zealand soil. India toured New Zealand for a tour in which they played four Tests and won the series 3-1 — India’s first Test series win in New Zealand. It was even more vital because overseas Test wins were not easy to come by for touring Asian teams in that period of time. The contrasting playing conditions, but India again showed that they could compete with the best on less favorable turf. For over four decades, the only Test series win in New Zealand for India was the 1968 series.
1975: First World Cup Meeting
The first encounter between India and New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup came at the very first edition of CWC, in 1975. Of course so far, New Zealand had a four-wicket victory over India in the match held at Old Trafford Manchester. India made 230 in their overs, and New Zealand finished the chase with Glenn Turner leading the way scoring a century not out. New Zealand’s victory extended their domination over India in big international tournaments. They had also faced each other during the 1979 World Cup, when New Zealand again came out on top, by eight wickets at Headingley.
1987: India Record Their First World Cup Victory
1987: India finally managed to beat New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup. New Zealand lost by 16 runs in Bengaluru, where the teams first met in that competition, after India made 252/7 and bowled their opponents out for 236/9. There, Navjot Singh Sidhu made a vital 75, and India’s bowlers held the totals down. The teams faced again later in the tournament, with India winning a second time. The hat-trick by Indian fast bowler Chetan Sharma in the second match became even more memorable. Consequently, the 1987 tournament was a watershed for the World Cup rivalry, where India reversed the trend by winning both their matches of that edition against New Zealand.
2000: New Zealand Win the Champions Trophy Final
The 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, in Nairobi (later dubbed as the Champions Trophy) was the next big ICC clash. India’s batting clicked as they scored 264/6 to enter the final with a win over New Zealand. Sourav Ganguly became the first to score 117 while Sachin added to the total with 69 in India. When they reached 132/5 New Zealand seemed to be in a tough spot but then Chris Cairns delivered with one of the greatest innings in World Cup history as he went on to score an unbeaten 102. His ton was pivotal in guiding New Zealand to its target with two balls and four wickets to spare. This win gave New Zealand their first major ICC men’s trophy, cementing itself as one of the defining moments in New Zealand cricket.
2009: India End a 41-Year Wait in New Zealand
After a return series to New Zealand in 2009, India began what would turn out to be one of their most significant away Test performances. India collected 10-wicket victory in the first Test at Hamilton while the second Test at Napier was drawn. India secured the series 1-0 after the third Test at Wellington also resulted in a draw. The result was all the more significant because it marked India’s first series win in Test cricket on New Zealand soil, since they had visited back through 1968.
2019: New Zealand Defeat India in the World Cup Semi-Final
One of the most iconic matches between India and New Zealand in their recent rivalry occurred at the semi-final stage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. New outlet: New Zealand 239/8 in a rain-affected match played over two days at Manchester India after opting to chase initially struggled and found themselves 24/4 in deep trouble. Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni tried to execute a miraculous win but New Zealand held its nerve to win the game by 18 runs. Seamer Seiso ran through India’s lower order after Ravindra Jadeja (77; 59) and Dhoni made half centuries – India falling short despite the pair adding 93 for the sixth wicket.
2020: India Win the T20I Series 5-0
An absolute belter of a five-match series unfolded during India’s T20I tour of New Zealand in early 2020. India’s 5-0 series rout of New Zealand made them the first side to register a clean sweep over New Zealand in a five-match T20I series. Most thrilling of the series, with three of the matches going all the way to Super Over. India, after this point, went on to win their fifth title with the manner in which they repeatedly managed to wring out results from tight finishes and cemented their position at the top of football’s shortest format even years later. However, in the ODI series that followed the Test matches, New Zealand came storming back to clinch a 3-0 whitewash with victories in all three ODIs. Given the swingy results, they demonstrated how quickly the pendulum could change direction with a change of medium.
2021: New Zealand Win the World Test Championship Final
The first ICC World Test Championship final was held in Southampton between India and New Zealand in June 2021. Following a rain-impacted match, where New Zealand were given a 139-run target to chase down after bowling India well out in the second innings. New Zealand became the first and only ever World Test Champions, with Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor steering New Zealand home to an eight-wicket win. It was particularly special for New Zealand in that it gave them their first ICC World Test Championship success and also proved they could beat India on a big stage. 5Th defeat another painful knock out result for India against New Zealand after 2019 World Cup.
2023: India Beat New Zealand in the World Cup Semi-Final
Later in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, both teams faced off again at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in a World Cup semi-final. India went on to deliver a magnificent batting show as they amassed their total of 397/4. It featured Virat Kohli’s record 50th ODI century and a hundred from Shreyas Iyer. Chasing, New Zealand mounted a great fight with Mohammed Shami taking seven wickets as the Indian bowlers managed to bundle them out for 327.
2024: New Zealand Create History in India
New Zealand had one of their biggest Test wins when they toured India in 2024. In the three-Test series, which concluded earlier this month, New Zealand won the first Test in Bengaluru and went on to take the second Test in Pune. They then finished with a bang when ruthlessly triumphing with 25 runs in Mumbai to sweep the series 3-0. What made the result epic was that visiting team New Zealand were the first to ever beat India this decisively in a three-Test series. It also brought to an end India’s phenomenal run of not losing 18 home Test series in a row.
2025: India Win the Champions Trophy Final
Let us note here that after that World Cup final the very next time India and New Zealand met in an ICC final was at the 2025 Champions Trophy held in Dubai. Batting first in the final, New Zealand posted 251/7 before restricting India. India chased it down comfortably, finishing with 254/6 and an over to spare. Rohit Sharma scored 76, while India’s middle order continued its domination during the second half of the innings. Result: India won by 4 wickets, to win the Champions Trophy The win was especially meaningful since it occurred 25 years after New Zealand had beaten India in the finals of the 2000 Champions Trophy. It also boosted India’s recent record in ICC knockout matches against New Zealand.
2026: New Zealand Win Their First ODI Series in India
In Jan 2026, New Zealand toured India to play a three-match ODI series – Another historic chapter of the rivalry unfolded. Having embarked on tour and before losing the rubber 2-1, it was New Zealand’s maiden ODI series win in India. New Zealand put in a fine all-round display, led with the bat by Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips at No. Even though Virat Kohli notched up another Odi hundred for India but New Zeland made a successful defence of their total and won the series. This would, of course, be all the more impressive as it followed just two years after New Zealand beat India by 3-0 in a Test series there too to further confirm their increasing acumen in Indian conditions.
2026: India Win the T20 World Cup Final
Another India vs New Zealand Final (2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup) India completed a comprehensive victory, making 255/5 in their 20 overs before bowling out New Zealand for 159. India defeated them by 96 runs to win yet another ICC trophy. India’s monumental effort – one of the highest-ever totals in a T20 World Cup final – came at the top, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the wickets column four times. It was an important historical achievement because India became the first men’s team to win three T20 World Cup crowns and the first to do so back-to-back. It also provided India their maiden T20 World Cup win over New Zealand after losing to the Kiwis in the 2007, 2016 and 2021 editions.
India vs New Zealand 2026 Tour
India’s major tour of New Zealand in the latter half of 2026 should further extend the rivalry. New Zealand Cricket on Wednesday announced a 12-match series comprising five T20Is, five ODIs as well as two Tests. The T20I series is set to start in Christchurch on October 22, while ODI fixtures are slated for November 4-15. The two-Test series begins on November 19 with the second Test in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1. The tour, which will feature the three formats will be important for both teams after Test sides return to playing bilateral series in India for Tests after last doing so nearly two decades back.
India vs New Zealand Head-to-Head Rivalry
This has created a contrast in bilateral cricket and ICC tournaments this overall rivalry is nothing short of fascinating. India predominate a couple of times in Test cricket and wrote historic ICC triumphs of late as New Zealand have persistently placed India under the duress in huge squeeze games. India won 2023 World Cup semi-final and 2025 Champions Trophy final after New Zealand’s 2019 Wold Cup semi-final, and 2021 World Test Championship final wins. New Zealand’s potential to win matches in India was shown with the 2024 Test series and 2026 ODI series while India were clearly too strong for New Zealand when they won the inaugural T20 World Cup final of 2026.
Conclusion
The timeline between the India national cricket team and New Zealand national cricket team began in 1955, resulting in a rivalry with historic Test series, World Cup battles, ICC finals and nail biting limited-overs matches. India began strongly, but went on to see New Zealand enjoy a string of major victories in 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026 before India regained their supremacy with wins in 2023, 2025 and the T20 World Cup final of the same year. There is another full tour coming to New Zealand in 2026 so Test, ODI and T20I cricket between the two won’t be all over yet; expect plenty more significant moments from this rivalry.
FAQs
1.When did India and New Zealand first play cricket against each other?
India and New Zealand first played an international Test match in 1955 in Hyderabad. The match ended in a draw.
2.When did India first win a Test series against New Zealand?
India won their first Test series against New Zealand in 1955–56, taking the five-match series 2–0.
3.When did India first win a Test series in New Zealand?
India recorded their first Test series victory in New Zealand in 1968, winning the four-match series 3–1.
4.When did New Zealand first beat India in a World Cup?
New Zealand defeated India in the 1975 Cricket World Cup, winning their first World Cup meeting by four wickets.
5.Who won the 2026 T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand?
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup final to win their third T20 World Cup title.
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