New Zealand has been the toughest ODI destination for the Men in Blue for half a century. As India walk out at Eden Park on 4 November, the record makes for hard reading: just 2 bilateral series wins in 10 tours and only 13 wins in 41 matches.
India have lost 6 of those 10 series and drawn the other 2. One match was tied and 4 were washed out. The Kiwis also arrive with extra belief, having won an ODI series in India for the very first time in January 2026.
Now it is payback time. Shubman Gill leads a side with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the line-up, chasing only India’s third series win on Kiwi soil. Here is everything you need to know, from the schedule and squad to five decades of history.
IND vs NZ 2026: full ODI schedule
India play five ODIs in New Zealand from 4 to 15 November 2026, chasing their third bilateral ODI series win there. They arrive after winning the T20I series 3–2. All five matches are day-night games starting at 3pm local time, which is 7:30am IST.
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Wed 4 Nov | Eden Park, Auckland |
| 2nd ODI | Sat 7 Nov | Hnry Stadium, Wellington |
| 3rd ODI | Tue 10 Nov | Seddon Park, Hamilton |
| 4th ODI | Fri 13 Nov | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui |
| 5th ODI | Sun 15 Nov | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui |
Shubman Gill captains India in the first three ODIs and Shreyas Iyer in the last two, with Jasprit Bumrah rested. Mitchell Santner leads New Zealand, who are without the injured Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman.
Team India squad
India named two squads: one for the first three ODIs and one for the last two. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play all five matches. Auqib Nabi replaces the injured Prasidh Krishna.
| Role | 1st–3rd ODIs | 4th–5th ODIs |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Shubman Gill | Shreyas Iyer |
| Vice-captain | Shreyas Iyer | Ishan Kishan |
| Batters | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma |
| Wicketkeepers | KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan | Ishan Kishan, Kumar Kushagra |
| All-rounders | Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy (1st ODI only) | Axar Patel, Naman Dhir |
| Bowlers | Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi | Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur |
Every India series in New Zealand
Newest first. Batting average and highest total are India’s figures for the series.
| Season | Matches | India W–L (T/NR) | Result | India avg | India highest total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3 | 0–1 (2 NR) | NZ won 1–0 | 34.11 | 306 |
| 2019/20 | 3 | 0–3 | NZ won 3–0 | 42.57 | 347 |
| 2018/19 | 5 | 4–1 | India won 4–1 | 36.86 | 324 |
| 2013/14 | 5 | 0–4 (1 tie) | NZ won 4–0 | 31.46 | 314 |
| 2008/09 | 5 | 3–1 (1 NR) | India won 3–1 | 54.68 | 392 |
| 2002/03 | 7 | 2–5 | NZ won 5–2 | 15.64 | 219 |
| 1998/99 | 5 | 2–2 (1 NR) | Drawn 2–2 | 34.90 | 257 |
| 1993/94 | 4 | 2–2 | Drawn 2–2 | 36.17 | 255 |
| 1980/81 | 2 | 0–2 | NZ won 2–0 | 15.42 | 153 |
| 1975/76 | 2 | 0–2 | NZ won 2–0 | 15.50 | 156 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru.
1976–1999: 23 years without a series win
India went 23 years without winning an ODI series in New Zealand. The first four tours produced two defeats and two 2–2 draws.
1975/76 and 1980/81 — learning the format. Both tours had two ODIs and India lost all four. Their batting average was about 15 on each tour, and they never passed 156. One-day cricket was still a side event on Test tours, and India had not yet built a limited-overs game.
1993/94 — first share of the spoils. The four-match series finished 2–2. India averaged 36.17 and passed 250, a big jump from the 1980s. This was the tour where Sachin Tendulkar first opened in ODIs, at Auckland, and changed his career.
1998/99 — another draw. Five matches, two wins each and one washed out. India again topped out at 257. They were competitive but could not close the series out.
2002/03 to 2008/09: from green-top nightmare to Dhoni’s breakthrough
2002/03 — the green-top disaster. Sourav Ganguly’s side lost the seven-match series 5–2. Seaming pitches cut India’s batting average to 15.64, their worst on any NZ tour. They were bowled out for as little as 108 and their best total was 219. Weeks later the same team reached the 2003 World Cup final, which shows how much the conditions decided this series.
2008/09 — Dhoni’s side finally wins. India won 3–1, with one no-result, for their first ODI series win in New Zealand. Their batting average jumped to 54.68, the best of any India tour there. At Christchurch they made 392, their highest total in New Zealand, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 163 not out. Virender Sehwag added a 60-ball hundred at Hamilton.
2013/14 to 2022/23: Kohli’s high and three painful lows
2013/14 — whitewash with a twist. Dhoni’s world champions lost 4–0 in five games. The only match India did not lose was a tie at Auckland, where Ravindra Jadeja hit the last ball for a single to level the scores. India passed 300 once but could not defend totals.
2018/19 — India’s best tour. India won 4–1, their biggest series margin in New Zealand. Kohli led the first three wins, which sealed the series, before Rohit Sharma took over. The one loss was a collapse to 92 all out at Hamilton, India’s lowest total on that tour.
2019/20 — straight back down. One year later Kohli’s side lost 3–0. India made 347 at Hamilton and still lost as Ross Taylor led the chase. Their batting average of 42.57 shows the bowling, not the batting, failed.
2022/23 — lost to the rain. Under Shikhar Dhawan, India lost the first match at Auckland after making 306, as Tom Latham’s 145 not out won it for New Zealand. Rain washed out the other two games, so NZ took the series 1–0.
By the numbers
India have lost more matches than they won on six of their ten tours of New Zealand, and won no matches at all on five of them. Their only series wins came in 2008/09 (3–1) and 2018/19 (4–1).
Why New Zealand is a fortress
The record points to conditions more than talent. India’s batting average in New Zealand swings from about 15 to about 55 depending on the pitches and the era.
- Early-season swing and seam. Tours often fall in January to March, when fresh pitches and cool air help the new ball. NZ’s line-ups have long been built around seam bowlers who exploit this.
- Wind and small grounds. Grounds such as Wellington are exposed to strong wind, and grounds such as Eden Park have short straight boundaries. Both make bowling plans harder for visiting spinners.
- Weather. Four of India’s 41 matches in NZ had no result, and rain decided the 2022/23 series.
- Home strength. New Zealand rarely lose at home in ODIs, so a series win there is a high bar for any visiting team.
India’s two series wins came when the batting fired: an average of 54.68 in 2008/09 and a 4–1 hammering in 2018/19. Can Gill’s men make it three? The first ball at Eden Park is bowled at 7:30am IST on Wednesday, 4 November.
Stay with Voice of Indian Sport for live updates, match reports and reaction from every game of the series.
