India vs New Zealand: Virat Kohli looks to emulate Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s 52-year-old feat in Wellington

IND vs NZ: Basin Reserve in Wellington will play host to the first Test of the series and India’s record at the venue doesn’t paint a very good picture for Virat Kohli’s troops

The action now shifts to Test cricket and Team India captain Virat Kohli has already set the dice rolling when he announced the World Test Championship is the biggest ICC accolade. India blanked New Zealand in the 5-match T20I series and the hosts returned the favour in the ODI series which makes the Test series a compelling watch. India have been a dominant force in whites for a long time now and are also the number 1 Test side in the world, but they will be up for a stern test as the Kiwis have a proud and formidable record in their own backyard. .

File image: India skipper Virat Kohli (L) and former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (AP Image and Getty Images)

Overall, India have played 23 Tests in New Zealand and have come out victorious in just five matches. They have lost eight matches while 10 Tests ended in a draw. India’s record in Wellington is much worse as they have won just one Test out of seven played at the venue so far.

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India’s only victory in Wellington came in 1968, which was their first-ever Test at the venue. Since then, they have lost four while two ended in a draw. So if skipper Kohli wants to take an unassailable lead in the first Test, he will have to emulate former captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s 52-year-old feat as he was skipper when India last beat New Zealand in Wellington.

India’s record in Wellington

1968: India win by 8 wickets

1976: New Zealand win by an innings and 33 runs

1981: New Zealand win by 62 runs

1998: New Zealand win by 4 wickets

2002: New Zealand win by 10 wickets

2009: Drawn

2014: Drawn

In 6 decades of India travelling to New Zealand, their most successful one was the maiden tour in 1968 where they won 3 of the four Tests and took the series 3-1. Since then, India have managed to win just two Tests in New Zealand. Despite these poor numbers, Kohli believes this Indian team is more than capable of winning in the country.

“We have prepared in a manner where our fitness levels and concentration levels are such that we can compete against anyone in the world,” Kohli said during the pre-match press conference. “That’s the kind of confidence we will carry into this series.”

“We are not the same team that we used to be. We have a very complete squad now.”