India’s first Test match against New Zealand is scheduled at the Basin Reserve, Wellington and India do not have an impressive record at this venue.
Indian players training prior to the first Test at Wellington. (Photo: Twitter/@BCCI)
After hosts New Zealand clean-swept India in the ODI series, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team would look to redeem themselves by producing an inspiring performance in the longest format of the game in the forthcoming Test series against the Kiwis starting February 21. The first Test match is scheduled at the Basin Reserve, Wellington and India do not have an impressive record at this venue.
India have played a total of 23 matches in New Zealand and have managed to emerge as the winning team only on five occasions. They have lost eight matches while a total of 10 Test matches ended in a draw. If these numbers were not enough to show India’s poor record in New Zealand, consider the following stat. In the 7 Test matches that India have played at Wellington, India have won just a solitary Test match which was in 1968.
A bunch of happy lads while training.#TeamIndia gearing up for the 1st Test against New Zealand.#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/ALzDxCxA2O
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— BCCI (@BCCI) February 19, 2020
In fact, India’s win in 1968 came in India’s first-ever Test match at this venue. Post that India have lost four matches at this venue while two others have ended in a draw.
This implies that if Virat Kohli is indeed eyeing taking a lead in the Test series by winning the first Test, he would have to achieve a rare milestone and match Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi-led team’s 52-year-old feat, which was when India last defeated the Kiwis at Wellington.
Have a look at India’s record in Wellington:
1968: India won by 8 wickets
1976: New Zealand won by an innings and 33 runs
1981: New Zealand won by 62 runs
1998: New Zealand won by 4 wickets
2002: New Zealand won by 10 wickets
2009: Drawn
2014: Drawn
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