5 New Zealand players who always played well against India

The likes of Tom Latham and James Neesham might be young in their international career but both players have terrific records against India. In fact, there are not the only Kiwi players who enjoyed played against India.

Whether it is in India or in New Zealand, some NZ players always played well against India, some with the bat, some with the ball and some with both. In the interest of fairness, only players who have played at least 10 matches against India have been considered, so Andre Adams, despite his incredible tally of 17 wickets from six ODIs at an average of 13.82, including his career-best ODI figures doesn't make the cut.

While some have been good in ODIs or Tests, others have done well across all formats, so here are 5 New Zealand players who always played well against India:

Tim Southee

Among current Kiwi squad, several players have a good record against India but few have been as consistent and effective as Tim Southee. The right-arm fast bowler is one of only three Kiwi bowlers to have taken at least 50 wickets against India across all formats and he has got there in just 24 matches.

While he is a long way behind the top two in terms of wickets taken against India across all formats, with the amount of limited-overs cricket India and New Zealand seem to be playing, it is only a matter of time before he becomes New Zealand's leading wicket-taker against India in ODIs and Tests, a record currently held by Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori, respectively.

One of the reasons why he makes it onto this list is because of his effectiveness against India across formats and conditions. His career-best Test figures of 7/64 came against India at Bengaluru in 2012. In just six Tests, he has taken 25 wickets and overall, his tally stands at 51 wickets from 24 matches.

Sir Richard Hadlee

No Kiwi bowler has taken more wickets against India than Hadlee

When Sir Richard Hadlee took to the field against India, it was a battle between two of the finest all-rounders that the world has ever seen. And the battle between Kapil Dev and Hadlee was made even more memorable courtesy of the Kiwi all-rounder's incredible performances and wicket-taking ability.

Only five bowlers have taken more wickets against India in Tests than Hadlee and no New Zealand bowler has taken more wickets against India across all formats than the legendary all-rounder. In 14 Tests, he picked up 65 wickets at an average of under 23 and a strike rate of just over 47 with four five-wicket hauls as well.

The sheer consistency with which he gobbled up Indian batsmen meant that the Kiwis were always in the game, as long as Hadlee was playing. Overall, he has 92 wickets in 34 matches and it looks highly unlikely that anyone will overtake him anytime soon.

Nathan Astle

No Kiwi batsman has scored more centuries against India than Astle

Explosive openers are nothing new but few have had as much success as Nathan Astle enjoyed against India. No New Zealand player has scored more ODI runs against Indian than Astle and only one has scored more in any format against India. What was impressive about his performances wasn't just the runs but the consistency with which he kept racking up the runs.

In just 29 ODIs, Astle scored 1207 runs against India at an average of over 43, which is much better than his career ODI average of just over 34. It wasn't just the runs he was scoring but how important they were as well. Of his 16 ODI centuries, five of them came against India and four of those were match-winning efforts. And his five ODI fifties against India also included two nineties and an 81.

While he is fourth on the list of most runs against India across all formats among Kiwi players, no one has scored more than his six centuries. And although he was nothing more than a part-time bowler, Astle still managed to pick up 18 wickets against India.

Daryl Tuffey

Only three Kiwi pacers have taken more wickets against India

Arguably the most surprising name on this list has to be Daryl Tuffey. In a 10-year ODI career, the right-arm pacer from Otago played just 94 matches but against India, he was simply sensational. He finished with 45 wickets in 20 matches at an average of under 20 in an era where he was bowling against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

Tuffey has more wickets against India than the likes of Chris Cairns and Kyle Mills, who have played more matches. In 16 ODIs, Tuffey finished with 24 wickets at an average of just over 22 and an economy rate of 4. His Test numbers are even better as he picked up 21 wickets in the four matches that he played against India.

While he may not have been the first name many think of, when it comes to bowlers who troubled Indian batsmen or were successful, Tuffey, under the radar has one of the best records against India across all formats.

Brendon McCullum

McCullum has an incredible record against India

Not only is Brendon McCullum New Zealand's leading run-scorer against India across all formats, but he is also the only Kiwi batsman to score over 1,000 Test runs against India. In 42 matches, the former New Zealand captain amassed 1,987 runs at an average of almost 50 with four centuries and seven fifties.

While he didn't have a particularly great record against India in ODIs, he more than made up for it in the other two formats. Although he played just four T20Is against India, the right-hander averages an incredible 130.50 and has scored three fifties in those four matches, all of which the Kiwis have won. This is much better than his already impressive T20I average which is just over 35.

In Tests, he has 1,224 runs in just 10 matches at an average of 68 with four centuries and two fifties, including his career-best score of 302 at Wellington, where he became New Zealand's first Test triple centurion. His overall Test average is just over 38 and in the 91 other Tests that he has played, he has just eight centuries. Going to show just how much he enjoyed playing against India.