India vs New Zealand: Head-to-Head Record & Trophies

For cricket fans, few matchups deliver the blend of tension and mutual respect quite like India vs New Zealand. You might know India dominates the overall head-to-head, but dig a little deeper and a fascinating pattern emerges: New Zealand has often had the upper hand when it matters most, especially in ICC knockout games. This article breaks down the numbers, the trophies, and the key players to understand what truly defines this rivalry.

Total ODI matches played: 117 ·
India ODI wins: 60 ·
New Zealand ODI wins: 50 ·
Tied / No result (ODI): 1 / 6

Five key facts capture the statistical shape of this rivalry. India clearly leads in the overall win column, but the margins are tighter in specific formats.

Which team is strong, India or New Zealand?

Overall Win-Loss Record Across Formats

• ODIs: India leads 60-50, with 1 tie and 6 no-results, based on official records from The Times of India.
• T20Is: New Zealand holds a narrow lead, 12-11, with 1 no-result, as reported by Sporting News India.
• Tests: India leads 22-14, with 28 draws, according to CricGram.

The pattern: India’s overall lead is built on dominance in the longer formats, while New Zealand’s competitiveness shines in the shortest format.

ICC Trophy Comparison

• India has won 3 ODI World Cups (1983, 2011, 2023), 2 T20 World Cups (2007, 2024), and 2 Champions Trophy titles (2002 shared, 2013), per The Times of India.
• New Zealand has won 1 T20 World Cup (2021) and 1 World Test Championship (2021), but has never won an ODI World Cup, as noted by Business Standard.

The catch: India’s trophy cabinet is far fuller, but New Zealand’s two titles came in the two most recent ICC finals they played—a sign of timely execution.

Recent Head-to-Head Form

• New Zealand beat India in the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final, a result that ended India’s unbeaten run in that tournament, as covered by Sporting News India.
• India beat New Zealand by 44 runs in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy group stage, as reported by Jagran Josh.

What this means: In the last three ICC meetings, each team has won once, reinforcing that the gap between them is narrower than the overall win-loss ledger suggests.

How many times has India beaten New Zealand?

ODI Head-to-Head

• India has 60 wins, New Zealand 50, with 1 tie and 6 no-results, according to The Times of India.

T20I Head-to-Head

• India has 12 wins, New Zealand 11, with 1 no-result, as reported by Sporting News India.

Test Head-to-Head

• India has 22 wins, New Zealand 14, with 28 draws, per CricGram.

The implication: India’s edge in Tests and ODIs is substantial, but the T20I record is a near dead heat—a format where New Zealand has proven it can go toe-to-toe with India’s best.

How many ICC World Cups has India won?

One-Day World Cup Wins

• India has won 3 ODI World Cups: 1983, 2011, and 2023, according to The Times of India.

T20 World Cup Wins

• India has won 2 T20 World Cups: 2007 and 2024, as noted by The Times of India.

Champions Trophy Wins

• India has won 2 Champions Trophy titles: 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka) and 2013, per The Times of India.

The trade-off: India’s 7 ICC titles are the envy of most cricketing nations, but the absence of a World Test Championship win—a trophy New Zealand holds—is a notable gap in their resume.

Has New Zealand ever won a T20 World Cup?

New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2021 Victory

• New Zealand won the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, beating India in the group stage and Australia in the final, as reported by Business Standard.

Other ICC Title for New Zealand

• New Zealand also won the 2021 World Test Championship, defeating India in the final, per Sporting News India.

India vs New Zealand in T20 World Cups

• India and New Zealand have faced 3 times in T20 World Cups, with New Zealand winning all 3 encounters, according to Sporting News India.

Why this matters: New Zealand’s perfect record against India in T20 World Cups is a statistical anomaly that underscores their knack for tactical execution in the format.

The implication: New Zealand’s knockout success against India has defined recent ICC moments, making the rivalry more lopsided in high-stakes settings than the overall record suggests.

Who is the best Indian batsman against New Zealand?

Top Run-Scorers in ODIs

• Virat Kohli leads all Indian batsmen against New Zealand in ODIs with 1,634 runs, according to CricGram.
• Rohit Sharma has scored 6 ODI centuries against New Zealand, the most by any Indian, per The Times of India.

Top Run-Scorers in T20Is

• Virat Kohli also leads in T20I runs against New Zealand, with over 400 runs, as reported by Sporting News India.

Top Run-Scorers in Tests

• In Tests, Rahul Dravid (1,229 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (1,036 runs) are the top Indian run-scorers against New Zealand, according to CricGram.

The pattern: Kohli is the active batter with the most runs across formats against New Zealand, but the list of greats—Dravid, Gavaskar, and Rohit—shows that this rivalry has consistently brought out the best in Indian batting talent.

Timeline

• 1975-76: First ODI match between India and New Zealand (per CricGram historical records).
• 1983: India wins its first ODI World Cup; knocks out New Zealand in the group stage (The Times of India).
• 1992: New Zealand wins its first Test series in India (per CricGram records).
• 2000: New Zealand beats India in the ICC Champions Trophy final in Nairobi (Business Standard).
• 2019: New Zealand beats India in the World Cup semi-final (Sporting News India).
• 2021: New Zealand wins the World Test Championship final against India (Sporting News India).
• 2023: India beats New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final (Sporting News India).
• 2026: Upcoming bilateral series: India in NZ (T20Is, Tests); NZ in India (ODIs).

The pattern: New Zealand has won four of the six most significant ICC knockout or series-defining moments since 2000, despite India’s overall head-to-head lead.

Clarity

Quotes

“The India-New Zealand rivalry is unique because there’s a lot of respect between the sides, but when it comes to big tournaments, New Zealand has often found a way to get the better of us.”

— Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian captain, in an interview with a sports channel

“Playing India in India is always a massive challenge. They have world-class players in every department, and you have to be at your absolute best to compete.”

— Kane Williamson, New Zealand skipper, in a post-match press conference

The implication: Both camps acknowledge the respect between the sides, but the quotes reveal a contrast—India’s frustration with knockout losses versus New Zealand’s focus on the challenge of Indian conditions.

For Indian fans, the rivalry with New Zealand is a study in contrasts: India’s superior overall record versus New Zealand’s knack for stepping up in ICC knockouts. The implication for the 2026 series is clear: when these two sides meet, the numbers from the past don’t guarantee the result of the next match. For the Indian team management, the challenge is to break New Zealand’s psychological edge in high-stakes games. For New Zealand, the task is to prove their recent tournament success is sustainable, not a one-off.

Fans looking for the latest head-to-head data will find detailed 2026 series updates and stats that complement this historical overview.

Frequently asked questions