New Zealand won the first Twenty20 international match against West Indies by 81 runs at EdenPark on Saturday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
India's marauding cricket team will be aiming to reclaim the No 1 spot in ICC rankings when it takes on an unsettled New Zealand in the second Test starting, in Kolkata, on Friday.
Ahead of the India-New Zealand series, Rajneesh Gupta looks at the Black Caps' Test records.
Stylish left-hander Vijay Zol carried his stupendous form at the Under-19 level to first-class cricket, scoring a fluent century on debut, as the three-day encounter between India 'A' and New Zealand 'A' ended in a draw, in Visakhapatnam, on Friday.
George Worker compiled a brisk 62 off just 38 balls on his international debut to enable New Zealand to complete their brief limited overs tour of Zimbabwe with an easy 80-run win in their only Twenty20 international on Sunday.
Supremely positive, aggressive and efficient, the Black Caps amply justified their status as the world's third-ranked Test side in a 1-1 draw with their hosts which fluctuated from the first ball to the last. New Zealand are a team to be reckoned with.
Martin Guptill has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad for the two-match tour of England after the top-order batsman finished top scorer at the recent 50-over cricket World Cup.
Corey Anderson scored a composed 81 as New Zealand lurched to a three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday in the first of seven One-day Internationals between the two sides before next month's World Cup.
Team India has two members - MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma - of that victorious 2009 side returning to New Zealand for the One-Day International series, which commences on Sunday. The hosts, however, are almost a completely overhauled unit. The teams may not appear equal on paper but the home advantage is something than should benefit New Zealand. Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical lowdown of the teams ahead of tour opener in Napier.
Rookie all-rounder Mitchell Santner and veteran Grant Elliott have been rewarded for their recent strong performances by being included in New Zealand's list of centrally contracted players on Wednesday.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan believes the Lahore Lions' successful participation in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 will open the Indian Premier League doors for the country's players.
After hammering the Kiwis 3-0 in the Tests, the focus now shifts to white-ball cricket . New Zealand will be bolstered by the presence of star allrounder Corey Anderson as captain Kane Williamson looks to avenge the defeat in Tests. Also, MS Dhoni's men will need to win the ODI series by a 4-1 margin to claim third place on the ICC ODI Championship.
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha's battling half-century helped India reach 316 before the hosts were dismissed in their first innings against New Zealand on the second morning of the second test at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Rajneesh Gupta picks instances of sledging which backfired spectacularly.
New Zealand will not be shelving the aggressive game that has taken them through the pool stage.
New Zealand will face England with an unchanged side in their second World Cup match.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
Middle-order batsmen Corey Anderson and Anton Devcich staged a spirited fightback after early jitters as New Zealand 'A' ended the first day's play against India 'A' on 300 for eight, in the second and final four-day 'Test' in Hyderabad on Monday.
The calm, assured manner in which New Zealand chased down South Africa's imposing total on Tuesday to advance to their first cricket World Cup final is a hallmark of a team that has developed into a cohesive unit over the last two years.
New Zealand's Tim Southee produced a brilliant spell of swing bowling for career best figures of 7-33 to dismiss England for 123 in their World Cup Pool A match at Wellington Regional Stadium on Friday.
Underlining the significance of reverse swing, India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has admitted that the unique art is one of his primary weapons in his bowling arsenal and insisted that he constantly strives to execute it to perfection.
India beat New Zealand by 197 runs to win the opening Test in Kanpur and take a 1-0 in the 3-Test match series.
Virat Kohli produced another breathtaking effort as his superbly crafted unbeaten 154 enabled India to cruise to an easy seven-wicket victory in the third ODI against New Zealand, in Mohali, on Sunday.
BJ Watling scored a fine century as New Zealand dominated the final session with steely resolve to reach 338 for six on the third day of the second Test against England on Sunday.
Adam Lyth upstaged his captain Alastair Cook by scoring his maiden Test century to lift England to 253 for five at the close on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Penpix of the New Zealand squad for the cricket World Cup which they will co-host with Australia.
Kane Williamson's gamble to compromise on speed and pick three specialist spinners paid off as New Zealand humbled hosts India by 47 runs in a spin-dominated Super 10 contest of the World Twenty20 in Nagpur, on Tuesday.
New Zealand named a virtually unchanged squad for the upcoming ODI series against India, with the selectors keeping faith in players who drew the recent five-match home assignment against the West Indies.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
New Zealand spinners claimed three wickets in the morning session but India extended their advantage to a daunting 308 runs by lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium on Sunday.
Kiwis face trial by spin as India commence run of 13 matches with Kanpur Test on Thursday
J P Duminy blasted an unbeaten 86 and Dale Steyn bowled a sensational last over as South Africa pulled of a dramatic two-run victory over New Zealand to bring their ICC World Twenty20 campaign back on track, in Chittagong, on Monday.
New Zealand entered their maiden ICC World Cup final, beating South Africa by five wickets in a thrilling rain-reduced World Cup semi-final at Eden spoPark in Auckland on Tuesday. Set 298 to win from 43 overs, the Kiwis, led by fine knocks from captain Brendon McCullum (59 off 26 balls) and Grant Elliott (84 off 73) got across the finish line with one ball to spare. Elliott hit the winning run with a six over long-on off the bowling of Dale Steyn.
Ashok Menaria produced an all-round show as India 'A' scored a convincing six-wicket victory over New Zealand 'A' in the second one-dayer between the countries to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Martin Guptill stroked a fluent century to help New Zealand edge past Bangladesh by three wickets with seven deliveries to spare, in the ICC World Cup Pool A match in Hamilton, on Friday.
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith feels it will be extremely difficult to fill up the void created in Indian cricket once Mahendra Singh Dhoni bids adieu to the game in near future.
Kane Williamson coolly struck a straight six to give New Zealand a one wicket victory over Australia in a dramatic battle between the World Cup hosts at Eden Park on Saturday.
New Zealand will have their tails up and eye another upset when they resume the trans-Tasman rivalry with a strong Australian side.
Recalled batsman Neil Broom scored his maiden one-day century and took two crucial catches as New Zealand completed a 67-run victory over Bangladesh in the second one-day international at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday.
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