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Team India are gearing up to face New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
Team India booked their berth in the WTC final by getting the better of England 3-1 in the four-match Test series at home. Meanwhile, New Zealand came up with sublime home series wins over West Indies and Pakistan to stay in contention. The Kiwis then became the first team to qualify for the WTC final after Australia cancelled their tour of South Africa over COVID-19 concerns.
In terms of their head-to-head numbers, Team India have a significant lead over New Zealand. The two teams have faced each other 59 times, with Team India winning on 21 occasions and New Zealand 12. As many as 26 India vs New Zealand Tests have ended in draws.
Three most memorable bowling efforts by Team India against New Zealand
Over the years, Team India bowlers have put up some wonderful performances against New Zealand. On that note, let's take a look at three such spells.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin (7 for 59) - 2016 Indore Test
Brief scores: India (557-5 decl. and 216-3 decl.) beat New Zealand (299 and 153) by 321 runs.
Veteran Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ran through the New Zealand batting lineup with fabulous figures of 7 for 59 in 13.5 overs as the visitors crumbled to 153 all out in an improbable chase of 475 in the 2016 Indore Test. New Zealand’s second innings lasted only 44.5 overs as Ashwin wreaked havoc.
The off-spinner's prominent wickets included New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who was trapped lbw for 27. Ashwin also cleaned up Ross Taylor (32) and Luke Ronchi (15) to make Team India’s victory a mere formality.
He scythed through the visitors' tail in no time, sending back Mitchell Santner, Jeetan Patel, Matt Henry and Trent Boult to register his career-best figures in Test matches.
Earlier, Team India had won the toss and batted first in the third Test of the three-match series.
Captain Virat Kohli’s 211 and Ajinkya Rahane’s career-best 188 saw the hosts pile on a massive total of 557 for 5 declared on the board. New Zealand began well in response, as their openers Martin Guptill (72) and Tom Latham (53) added 118 runs for the opening wicket.
However, Ashwin pegged back the visitors and put Team India in the ascendancy by having Latham caught and bowled. He then dismissed Williamson (8), Ross Taylor (0) and Luke Ronchi (0) to put New Zealand firmly on the back foot.
The visitors were eventually bowled out for 299 as Ashwin claimed six. Team India opted against enforcing the follow-on as they ensured New Zealand would bat last on the wicket. Ashwin once again came to the fore in the second innings as well, helping Team India complete an emphatic 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand.
#2 Srinivas Venkataraghavan (8 for 72) - 1965 Delhi Test
Brief scores: New Zealand (262 and 272) lost to India (465-8 decl. and 73-3) by seven wickets.
Off-spinner Srinivas Venkataraghavan claimed a career-best 8 for 72 as Team India beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the 1965 Delhi Test, the fourth game of a four-match series. The visitors won the toss and decided to bat first in the game but could not stand up to the guile of Venkataraghavan.
The off-spinner got the first wicket of the Test when he trapped New Zealand opener Graham Dowling lbw for 7. The other opener, Terry Jarvis (34), was also sent back to the hut up by Venkataraghavan.
Bevan Congdon looked good during his 48 before the Team India spinner had him caught. Venkataraghavan then proceeded to clean up Bert Sutcliffe (2) and Vic Pollard (27). He also ended the resistance of Ross Morgan, who contributed a spirited 82, as New Zealand were bowled out for 262.
Team India responded with 465 for 8 declared, courtesy captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s 113 and Dilip Sardesai’s 106. Venkataraghavan claimed four more scalps in New Zealand’s second innings as the visitors managed 272. Set a modest 70 for victory, Team India romped home by seven wickets in 9.1 overs.
#1 Erapalli Prasanna (8 for 76) - 1976 Auckland Test
Brief scores: New Zealand (226 and 215) lost to India (414 and 71-2) by eight wickets.
Part of Team India’s legendary spin quartet, the others being Venkatraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna set up a famous Test win for Team India against New Zealand in the 1976 Auckland Test.
In the first match of a three-Test series, Prasanna picked up 8 for 76 in the second innings as the hosts folded up for 215 in 70.2 overs. The off-spinner gave Team India the early breakthrough when he had New Zealand captain Glenn Turner caught for 13.
The other opener, John Morrison (23), also perished to Prasanna. Bevan Congdon (54) and John Parker (70) then set about to steady the New Zealand innings, but Prasanna struck again by dismissing both batsmen.
Prasanna then cleaned up Brian Hastings for 1 and ran through the New Zealand tail, picking up the scalps of Dayle Hadlee, David O'Sullivan and Richard Collinge cheaply. The off-spinner's brilliance meant that Team India needed only 68 for victory, which they scored for the loss of two wickets to take the lead in the series.
Earlier, New Zealand had decided to bat first after winning the toss. But Bhagwat Chandrasekhar’s six-for restricted them to 266. Team India responded with 414, thanks to Surinder Amarnath (124) scoring a debut hundred, while captain Sunil Gavaskar contributed 116.
Prasanna, who had claimed three wickets in New Zealand's first innings, went on to register a ten-wicket match-haul.
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