New Zealand vs India, 2020: 2-match Test series – Statistical Preview

New Zealand’s first home Test series in the ICC Test Championship will be the 2-match series against India, the No.1 ranked Test side. The Blackcaps’ golden run in the longer format was halted by Australia who thumped them 3-0 at home. India has won each and every match they played in the Test championship while the Kiwis dropped to No.4.

This will be the first Test series between India and New Zealand since 2016 where the Indian team defeated the Kiwis 3-0 during the home series. The last time these two sides met in New Zealand, the hosts won the 2-match series by 1-0 margin.

All the key stats and numbers that matter ahead of the 2-match Test series in New Zealand:

1 – India won each of their last seven matches in Test cricket; their longest winning streak in the format. This is also the longest winning streak for any team in this format since the start of 2011.

3 – Neil Wagner has dismissed Virat Kohli on three occasions in Test cricket at the cost of 60 runs; the most times Wagner has dismissed any current Indian player in this format.

Among the current squad, only Ajinkya Rahane (48 runs) has scored 20+ runs without getting dismissed off the left-arm pacer in Test cricket. Rohit Sharma (99 runs; 15 fours; 0 dismissals) scored the most number of Test runs among Indians against Wagner but is ruled out of the Test series due to calf injury.

5 – New Zealand won each of their previous five series in Test cricket at home after losing the 2017 Test series against South Africa by 0-1 margin. This is the longest series winning streak at home for the Blackcaps in the longer format. They won four consecutive Test series at home during 1983-1986 and also during 2013-2015.

The recent 0-3 defeat against Australia was New Zealand’s first Test series defeat in 8 series. Their streak of seven successive Test series without a defeat was their longest such streak in this format.

10 – Cheteshwar Pujara now has spent 10 Test innings since the 193-run knock during the 2019 SCG Test with a century. Pujara scored only 304 runs at an average of 30.4 with four fifties since his last Test ton.

In fact, post the 2018-19 Australia tour, Pujara scored only two centuries across 25 innings in FC cricket – 131* in January 2019 and 248 in January 2020; both against Karnataka. Cheteshwar aggregated 1131 during this period at an average of 49.17 with nine fifties.

34 – Ross Taylor has a batting average of 34 against India in Test cricket; the 2nd lowest for him against any opposition. Taylor aggregated 748 runs in 22 innings across 12 Test match against the Indians where he struck three tons and a fifty. His lowest Test batting average against an opponent is 25.88 against South Africa across 8 Tests.

37.11 – India is the only opponent against which Kane Williamson has a batting average below 40 in Test cricket. In 17 innings across 9 Tests against India, Williamson aggregated 631 runs with two hundreds and three fifties. At home, Kane aggregated 170 runs in four innings against India out of which 113 runs came in one inning.

45 – Ravichandran Ashwin has claimed 45 wickets across five Test matches against New Zealand at a stunning average of 15.91. However, all those five Tests against the Blackcaps were played in India only. Ashwin is yet to play a Test match on New Zealand soil.

66.81 – Virat Kohli averages 66.81 in Test cricket against New Zealand across the seven Tests against them. Kohli scored 735 runs against the Blackcaps in 13 Test innings with three hundreds and three fifties.

73.55 – Shubman Gill has a batting average of 73.55 in first-class which is the 2nd best for any player with 2000+ runs in format behind Sir Donald Bradman (95.14). Gill scored 2133 runs across 34 innings with 10 fifties and seven hundreds including three double tons.

In New Zealand, Gill has an FC average of 161.67 as he scored 50+ runs in all four innings on New Zealand soil – 136, 204*, 83, 62. Shubman is also the youngest player to score FC double century in New Zealand.