On Wednesday, 15 November, India will take on New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semfinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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The Men in Blue topped the league stage of the competition, winning all nine of their matches. They signed off with a 160-run win over Netherlands in Benglauru on Sunday.
The Kiwis' path to the top four was less straightforward as they won their first four matches before losing the next four, and securing a fourth-place finish only after winning their final league game against Sri Lanka.
If India are to beat New Zealand and play in their fourth World Cup final, Virat Kohli will have a big role to play. India's star batter currently tops the run-scoring charts with 594 in 9 innings, and will be eyeing another fantastic knock against the Kiwis.
Here, The Sporting News takes a look at Kohli's record against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli record against New Zealand: How has India's star batsman performed against the Kiwis?
Across all three formats, Kohli has played 52 matches against New Zealand; 11 Tests, 31 ODIs and 10 T20Is.
Tests
Kohli made his Test debut for India in June 2011, and played against New Zealand for the first time in Hyderabad in August 2012. He scored 58, batting at number five. In the very next match of the series, he scored 103 & 51* at his IPL home ground of Bengaluru.
His three centuries against New Zealand in this format include one double hundred, an innings of 211 in Indore where he put on 365 for the fourth wicket with Ajinkya Rahane as India won by 321 runs.
MORE: What is Rohit Sharma's record at Wankhede?
ODIs
In 2010, Kohli played an ODI against the Black Caps for the first time as India and New Zealand met in Dambulla during a tri-series with Sri Lanka. He could only score 8 in that first match.
When New Zealand visited India later that year, however, Kohli reeled off scores of 105, 64 and 63* in Guwahati, Jaipur and Vadodara. His high score of 154* against the Kiwis came in Mohali in 2016, where he and MS Dhoni helped pull India out of trouble at 41/2 to chase down 286 with 10 balls to spare.
Kohli averages a century every six innings versus the Kiwis and prior to meeting them in the World Cup this year, he had gone 10 innings without one against them. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for 95 in Dharamsala, but had done enough to get India over the line in a tricky chase.
He then followed it up with a stunning knock of 117 in the 2023 World Cup semifinal that was also his 50th ODI ton.
MORE: 'Don’t judge Babar by current performance' - Kapil Dev
T20Is
New Zealand have been one of Kohli's toughest opponents in T20Is. Against his career average of 52.7, 34.5 against the Kiwis pales in comparison.
His best knock against New Zealand came in his very first clash, as he smashed 70 off 41 balls, opening the innings in Chennai. Since then, he has scored just one half-century in 9 innings versus New Zealand with the most recent knock being a scratchy 9 off 17 balls in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli overall record against New Zealand
| Format | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 21 | 866 | 45.6 | 53.9 | 211 |
| ODI | 31 | 1645 | 56.6 | 95.1 | 154* |
| T20I | 10 | 311 | 34.5 | 138.8 | 70 |
Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India and Australia are now among the favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds were as follows ahead of this match, and you can click here to make your bet (selected regions).
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| India | 1.95 |
| Australia | 4.50 |
| South Africa | 5.50 |
| New Zealand | 7.50 |
You can also play Dafabet's CWC 2023 predictor game for the chance to win the latest Apple gadgets and big INR prizes!
