A look back at New Zealand’s previous tours of India.

S Rajesh08-Oct-2003In seven previous series in India, New Zealand have won just two Tests and lost 10. Wisden Cricinfo looks back at the highlights of those seven series.1955-56
It was New Zealand’s first tour of India, and the only time that they played a five-Test series here. India romped home 2-0, winning both Tests by an innings. Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Manjrekar and Pankaj Roy hammered two hundreds in the series, while Subhash Gupte was a one-man army with the ball, taking a phenomenal 34 wickets – exactly as many as all the other Indian bowlers put together. Despite the domination by the Indian batsmen, only once did their opening pair put together a century partnership. When they did manage one, though – in the fifth Test – Vinoo Mankad and Roy went on to add 413, a record for the first wicket which stands till today. Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid were the only two New Zealanders who conquered the Indian spinners, hitting two hundreds each.1964-65
A superb debut series for S Venkataraghavan, who took 21 wickets in four Tests and singlehandedly fashioned an Indian victory in the last Test, the only decisive match of the series. Venkat wheeled away for 112.4 overs and took 12 for 152 at the Feroz Shah Kotla to turn an evenly contested series – New Zealand took the first-innings lead twice in four matches – India’s way. New Zealand found an unlikely hero in Bruce Taylor, the allrounder, who scored a century and took a five-for on debut in the second Test at Calcutta, the only player to have achieved the feat till today.1969-70
The Indians had a mighty spin line-up in Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan, but New Zealand found a spin spearhead of their own in Hedley Howarth. His nine wickets in the second Test at Nagpur gave New Zealand their first Test victory in India. This was a series New Zealand dominated – they took the first-innings lead in all three Tests, and despite losing the first one, nearly snatched the series: requiring 268 to win in the last match, India just about managed to hold on for a draw, finishing on a miserable 76 for 7.1976-77
This time there was no stopping the Indian spinners. Bishan Bedi led the charge, taking 22 wickets in three Tests, including two five-fors, as India romped to a convincing 2-0 win. The crucial difference between the previous series and this one was the emergence of a solid Indian batting line-up – Sunil Gavaskar, Anshuman Gaekwad, Mohinder Amarnath and Gundappa Viswanath formed a formidable top four, and with Syed Kirmani chipping in handily in the lower order, New Zealand just could not find a way to dismiss India cheaply enough. This was also Richard Hadlee’s first series in India, and while 13 wickets in three wickets was a fair effort, it was too little to make a difference.1988-89
Richard Hadlee (10 for 88) and John Bracewell (8 for 132) led New Zealand to only their second Test win, by a thumping 136-run margin at Bombay. New Zealand lost matches on either side of that Test, though, to lose the series 1-2. In a bowler-dominated series, India topped 300 just twice, while New Zealand’s highest was 279. The pitches were tailor-made for India’s spinners – they accounted for almost 80% of the wickets taken by the team – but Hadlee showed that he could deliver even in inhospitable conditions. Tormenting the Indian batsmen with seam, swing, and impeccable accuracy, he took 18 wickets at 14, with a scalp every five-and-a-half overs.1995-96
A series marred by inclement weather. India won the first Test at Bangalore, and then held on to the lead as rains played spoilsport in the next two. Anil Kumble has reason to remember the series, though: Martin Crowe became his 100th Test victim in the Bangalore Test, as Kumble took nine wickets in the match and was largely instrumental in fashioning the victory.1999-2000
The three-Test series started off in sensational fashion when, on a damp and green pitch, Dion Nash and co. bundled out India’s much-vaunted batting line-up for 83 in a mere 27 overs. Incredibly, only 17 wickets fell in the next four days after the first day produced 13, as the match ended in a draw. The second Test was on a more conventional turner, and Kumble starred in yet another home win, grabbing six wickets in the second innings, and ten in the match. This series also marked the return to captaincy for Sachin Tendulkar, while Kapil Dev took over as coach. Tendulkar’s batting was not affected – he notched up his maiden Test double-century in the third match – but his high-profile partnership with Kapil didn’t quite produce the desired results for Indian cricket: a three-nil drubbing in Australia was followed by a more shocking two-zero whitewash against South Africa at home, and Tendulkar’s second stint as captain came to an unceremonious end.