5 New Zealand players who always played well against India

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.