Top 5 Indian batters with most runs in ODIs in New Zealand ft. MS Dhoni

Having clinched the T20I series 3-2, India will now take on New Zealand in a five-match ODI series. The first one-dayer will be played at the Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4. The subsequent matches will be played in Wellington (November 7), Hamilton (November 10) and Mount Maunganui (November 13 and November 15).

India have played a total of 53 one-day matches in New Zealand, winning 18 and losing 30. One match ended in a tie and four in no result. Overall, India and New Zealand have met 123 times in ODIs, with the Men in Blue winning 63 matches and the Black Caps 52. One match ended in a tie and seven in no result.

Ahead of the one-day series, let’s take a look at the top five Indian batters with most runs in ODIs in New Zealand.

#5 Mohammad Azharuddin (517 runs)

Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin is fifth on the list of Indian batters with most runs in ODIs in New Zealand. In 19 matches, he scored 517 runs at an average of 28.72 and a strike rate of 68.65, with four half-centuries.

Azharuddin scored 63 off 83 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch in January 1999. He also scored 55 off 98 balls in Dunedin in March 1992, 61 off 84 against West Indies in Wellington in March 1992 and 52 off 44 against New Zealand in Wellington in January 1999.

#4 MS Dhoni (590 runs)

Former captain MS Dhoni is fourth on the list of India’s leading run-getters in ODIs in New Zealand. In 15 matches (12 innings), he scored 590 runs at an average of 84.28 and a strike rate of 98.82, with six half-centuries.

Dhoni scored 84* off 89 balls against New Zealand in Napier in March 2009 and 68 off 58 in Christchurch during the same series. He also scored 79* off 73 against New Zealand in Hamilton in January 2014 and 85* off 76 against Zimbabwe in Auckland in March 2015.

#3 Virat Kohli (596 runs)

Virat Kohli is third on the list of Indian batters with most runs in ODIs in New Zealand. In 13 matches, he has scored 596 runs at an average of 49.66 and a strike rate of 91.41, with one century and four half-centuries.

Kohli scored 123 off 111 balls against New Zealand in Napier in January 2014. His knock featured 11 fours and two sixes. He also scored 78 off 65 in Hamilton and 82 off 78 in Wellington during the same series. Further, Kohli scored 60 off 74 in Mount Maunganui in January 2019.

#2 Virender Sehwag (598 runs)

Former opener Virender Sehwag occupies the second spot on the list of Indian batters with most ODI runs in New Zealand. In 12 matches, he scored 598 runs at an average of 54.50, with three hundreds and two fifties.

Sehwag scored 108 off 119 balls in Napier in December 2002, with nine fours and two sixes. He also compiled 112 off 139 balls in Auckland in January 2003, with 11 fours and three sixes. Sehwag’s third ODI ton in New Zealand came in March 2009. He scored 125* off 74 in Hamilton, with 14 fours and six sixes.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar (821 runs)

In 22 one-dayers in New Zealand, Sachin Tendulkar scored 821 runs at an average of 39.03 and a strike rate of 97.39, with one ton and five fifties.

Tendulkar hit a brilliant 163* off 133 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch in March 2009. The knock featured 16 fours and five sixes. He also scored 84 off 107 in Dunedin in March 1992 and 81 off 77 against Zimbabwe in Hamilton in March 1992. Famously, he opened the batting in ODIs for the first time against New Zealand in Auckland in March 1994 and hit 82 off 49, with 15 fours and two sixes.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert