3 times India clinched victory from the jaws of defeat vs New Zealand

Team India is currently in New Zealand for a white ball series that will feature three T20Is and as many ODIs. The contest will kick-off with the first T20I in Wellington on November 18. The subsequent matches of the series will be played in Mount Maunganui on November 20 and Napier on November 22.

The T20Is will be followed by three one-dayers, which will be held in Auckland (November 25), Hamilton (November 27) and Christchurch (November 30). Since Rohit Sharma has been rested for the tour, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the Men in Blue in the T20Is. Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan will then take charge of the visitors for the one-day series.

If we look at the head-to-head record of the two teams, India and New Zealand have faced each other in 20 T20Is, with both sides winning nine games each. Two matches have been tied, both of which have been won by India in the Super Over. In ODIs, the Men in Blue have won 55 of 110 matches, while the Kiwis have emerged triumphant in 49. Further, one game ended in a tie, while five matches produced a no result.

Over the years, India and New Zealand have been involved in some close contests in white ball cricket. In this feature, we recap three instances when the Men in Blue clinched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Kiwis.

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#1 Hamilton T20I - January 2020

India won the Super Over in Hamilton to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series

The third T20I of the India-New Zealand series in January-February 2020 ended in a thrilling tie. The Kiwis seemed to hold the upper hand in the Super Over, but the Men in Blue snatched victory in incredible fashion.

Batting first after losing the toss, India put up a competitive 179/5 as Rohit top-scored with 65 off 40 balls. In response, skipper Kane Williamson’s 95 seemed to be guiding the hosts towards victory. However, Mohammed Shami dismissed the well-set batter in the last over and New Zealand ended up scoring 179/6.

In the Super Over, Williamson and Martin Guptill combined to smash Jasprit Bumrah for 17 runs. In the chase, India managed only eight off the first four deliveries from Tim Southee. However, Rohit clobbered the last two balls of the over for sixes to lift the Men in Blue to an incredible come-from-behind victory. The first six was launched over wide long-on and the winning stroke came via an inside-out loft over long-off.

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#2 Wellington T20I - January 2020

4 wickets fell in a sensational last over as the match went into a Super Over

As if one Super Over wasn’t enough, India and New Zealand went on to tie the next T20I of the series as well in Wellington. The Men in Blue again emerged on top after another tight tussle. With the “super” win, they went 4-0 up in the five-match series.

New Zealand once again won the toss and sent India into bat. After a poor start, Manish Pandey’s unbeaten 36-ball 50 and a cameo from Shardul Thakur (20 off 15) lifted India to 165/8. The Kiwis were cruising in the chase and needed only seven off the last over with seven wickets in hand. However, Thakur dismissed Ross Taylor (24) and Daryl Mitchell (4), while Tim Seifert (57) and Mitchell Santner (0) were run-out as the hosts crumbled in inexplicable fashion.

Having taken the game into the Super Over, India restricted New Zealand to 13 as Bumrah did a decent job. In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli went out for the chase. The former struck Southee for a six and a four off the first two deliveries and then got out. Kohli then smashed the penultimate delivery for a four to seal another famous win for India, even as New Zealand contrived to collapse from what seemed like an impregnable position.

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#3 Wellington ODI - January 2003

Team India’s tour of New Zealand in 2002-03 was not a memorable one. They lost both Tests and went down 5-2 in the seven-match one-day series. One of the few moments of joy for the visitors came in the fifth ODI in Wellington when they pulled off a two-wicket win from a seemingly impossible position.

New Zealand batted first in the match and were bundled out for 168 as Zaheer Khan claimed 3/30, while Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Anil Kumble all chipped in with two scalps apiece. However, the Kiwis fought back brilliantly in the chase and reduced India to 116/7.

Another defeat seemed on the cards for the Men in Blue. However, Yuvraj Singh (54) found an unexpected ally in Zaheer (34* off 42). The duo added an invaluable 44 runs for the eighth wicket under immense pressure.

There was another twist as Daniel Vettori dismissed Yuvraj with India still needing nine runs for victory. Zaheer, however, held his nerve to take the visitors home with some sensible batting. Javagal Srinath (1* off 10) also displayed a calm head as India’s tail wagged for a change.

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Catch the T20Is on 18th, 20th and 22nd November beginning 11 am, and ODIs on 25th, 27th and 30th November beginning 6 am, only on Prime Video