5 memorable ODI matches between India and New Zealand

India-New Zealand has not been a much-talked contest if compared with many other rivalries in world cricket. If India is the most high-profile team in world cricket, New Zealand is probably on the opposite side.

Till date, India and New Zealand have faced each other 101 times in ODI cricket. Out of those, India has won 51 matches, while New Zealand has 44 in their favour. Going by the records, it has been a close face-off.

Coming to the point, India's tour of New Zealand that consists of five ODI matches followed by three T-20 internationals is set to commence. Lately, New Zealand has performed exceedingly well everywhere with a nearly unbeaten run at home. On the other hand, India, despite few hiccups in the batting order, has been a team to beat.

India has recently created history by clinching bilateral ODI series in South Africa and Australia respectively. In doing so, now, they endorse the record of winning a bilateral ODI series in four major nations outside Asia: New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Australia.

Based on the above-mentioned scenarios, the upcoming ODI series between the two nations is bound to be a cracker. There is a certainty that cricket fans will have some intriguing matches on offer in the five-match series.

In the past, India and New Zealand have been part of some engrossing matches in ODI cricket. Let's have a look at top 5 of them:

#5 Rothmans Cup 1990

This match took place when India toured New Zealand in 1990. The tour started with a three-match Test series that New Zealand won by 1-0. After the Test series, both teams took part in a triangular series with Australia as the third team. It was the fourth match of the competition that was played in Wellington.

Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and elected to bat first. Courtesy, an average but collective effort from batsmen, India posted 221 runs on the board. Kapil Dev was the top scorer with a quick 46 off 38 balls, while Manoj Prabhakar, Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar contributed with 36 runs each.

Chasing the target of 222 runs, New Zealand looked to do it easily when they had lost just 3 wickets with the score of 148 runs. From here on, Indian pace trio of Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Atul Wassan bowled beautifully to bring India back in the match.

New Zealand needed 11 runs in the last over with two wickets to spare. Kapil Dev had the ball in his hands to bowl the final over. On the very first ball, Richard Hadlee found a boundary off an edge to the third man; he took doubles on the following two balls, and the equation remained a pretty easy one for New Zealand as they only needed 3 runs off 3 balls.

On the fourth ball, New Zealand lost their 9th wicket off a run out, when batsmen failed to complete the second run. The hosts then required 2 off 2 balls with the solitary wicket remaining, but Kapil Dev ensured that New Zealand did not do that.

A quick and full delivery hit the stumps of Hadlee, and India clinched the thriller by 1 run.

#4 India tour of New Zealand (2002-03)

Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra took India home with one ball left

India's tour of New Zealand 2002-03 consisted of the two-match Test series followed by seven-match ODI series. India had lost the Test series by 0-2 and was trailing by 1-4 in ODI series. It was the sixth match of the series.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to field first. Defying an early collapse, New Zealand posted a respectable total of 199 runs on the board. Lou Vincent top scored with unbeaten 53, while Scott Styris and Shane Bond chipped in with 42 and 31 runs respectively. For India, Javagal Srinath was the pick of the bowlers with staggering figures of 10-2-13-3.

Chasing a target of 200, India was on the way at one stage with the score of 142/1 before a collapse took place. India kept on losing the wickets at regular intervals. When Virender Sehwag got out after a brilliant innings of 112 runs, India needed just 18 runs in 7 overs with 6 wickets to spare.

After further proceedings, India reached to 196/7 before last over to be bowled. 4 runs to get off the last 6 balls, Zaheer Khan collected a run through a leg-bye on the first ball, Kaif played a dot ball and lost his wicket on the third ball. On the fourth ball, Zaheer got run out off a wide ball.

The equation remained 2 runs off 3 balls with just one wicket to go. Srinath sneaked a single to a leg-bye before Ashish Nehra was able to touch the ball with the bat and both batsmen ran through for a single to hand India a thrilling win with 1 ball to go.

#3 New Zealand tour of India 2016-17

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been part of 5 double-century partnership in ODI, most by any pair in the history

New Zealand toured India for a short series that consisted of three ODI and as many T-20 internationals. It was the third and final match of the ODI series with both teams had won one each out of the first two.

Batting first after losing the toss, India scored a mammoth 337 runs in their quota of 50 overs. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scored the bulk of runs with a partnership of 230 runs for the second wicket. Rohit Sharma scored 147 off 138 balls, while captain Virat Kohli contributed 113 off 106 balls.

Chasing the target though, New Zealand lost Martin Guptill early, but, Colin Munro and Kane Williamson added a brisk 109 runs for the second wicket to bring New Zealand in the match. Healthy contributions from following batsmen made the equation easy for New Zealand as they only needed 35 runs off 24 balls with six wickets in hands.

The pair of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar held the mantle and bowled beautifully in the final overs. New Zealand struggled against the superb bowling from the duo and eventually lost the match by 6 runs.

#2 ICC knockout trophy 2000 final

Chris Cairns had the special liking for India, scoring 3 out of his 4 ODI hundreds against them

It was the final of the ICC knockout trophy that took place in Kenya in the year 2002. India and New Zealand had made it through to the finals beating South Africa and Pakistan respectively in the semi-finals.

Batting first after losing the toss, India got off to a great start with the opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly added 141 runs for the first wicket. Following batsmen could not pile on the great opportunity and India got restricted to 264/6. Sourav Ganguly scored a magnificent 117, while Sachin Tendulkar made 69 runs.

Chasing the target, New Zealand struggled and lost 5 wickets with 132 runs on the board. India had the upper hand at that stage, but Chris Cairns assisted by Chris Harris had other ideas as both went on to add 122 runs for the 6th wicket. Harris got out in 49th over but Chris Cairns did not allow India to come back. New Zealand won the match by 6 wickets with just two balls to spare. Cairns made a stunning 102 runs and remained unbeaten.

#1 India tour of New Zealand 2014

Ravindra Jadeja smashed 5 fours and 4 sixes in his innings of 66 runs

India toured New Zealand in 2014 for a five-match ODI series followed by two-match Test series. In the ODI series, India was trailing by 0-2 before coming to Auckland for this match.

Indian captain MS Dhoni won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat first. A century from Martin Guptill (111) and a half-century from Kane Williamson (65) helped New Zealand getting to a daunting total of 314 all-out.

India's start to the chase was good as opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan added a quick partnership of 64 runs between them, but lack of application from other batsmen saw India struggled at 184/6. What happened next, was unforeseen as Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin combined to add 85 runs in less than 10 overs, and scripted another close finish between the two teams.

India needed 18 runs to win in the last over. Ravindra Jadeja struck two fours and a six off Corey Anderson to make it 2 needed off the final ball. Anderson backed himself for a good enough full ball outside off-stump and Jadeja could not only manage a single off it. Both teams did not deserve to lose the match, and fittingly, the match ended in a tie.