Despite retiring in 2011, no Indian player has surpassed his number of centuries against the Black Caps
After whitewashing Bangladesh in both the Test and T20I series, India is now aiming to repeat the same against New Zealand. For India, the upcoming Test series will not only be about securing its place in the World Test Championship final but also about drawing revenge for the final that India lost at the hands of the Kiwis on June 18, 2021, at Southampton.
Both sides pack several quality players, and when it comes to the Indian batting line-up, eyes will be on the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill, who are known for their batting prowess and are expected to hit a century.
However, before the first game begins on October 16, we take a look at one Indian batsman’s record who scored six centuries against the Black Cap—the highest by an Indian player. He retired from Test cricket in 2011 and yet, after 13 long years, his record stands intact.
The year was 1999, and a young Rahul Dravid flew with team India to Hamilton for the third match of India’s tour of New Zealand. While the first game was abandoned, India lost the second and Rahul Dravid was a no-show. Therefore, it was imperative for India to win the third game.
With 366 set by New Zealand in the first innings and both Indian openers gone for cheap wickets, Rahul Dravid took the onus on himself and scored 190 runs in 354 balls. He continued his batting prowess in the second innings as well by adding 103 runs in 136 balls. Despite his efforts, India managed to only draw the game, and the series was lost.
Ten months later, New Zealand toured India, and the first game of the Test series was played in Mohali. In the first innings, India was all out in 83 runs, with Dravid only scoring one run, whereas, in response, New Zealand racked up 215 runs. India needed big numbers in the second innings, and the Wall of Indian cricket delivered with a sublime 144-run innings. Sachin Tendulkar also scored 126 runs, whereas Ganguly had added 64 to ensure a draw for India.
On October 8, 2003, in the first Test game of New Zealand’s tour of India, Rahul Dravid displayed one of the finest Test innings in the game’s history. While the opening duo of Akash Chopra and Virendra Sehwag could only manage 42 and 29 runs, respectively, Dravid chose to steer India’s innings single-handedly. The Wall of Indian cricket spent over nine hours, i.e., 578 minutes on the crease, scoring 222 runs in 387 balls. Ganguly also scored 100, but by the end of day five, the match ended in a draw.
November 4-8, 2010, witnessed the first Test match of New Zealand’s tour in India at Ahmedabad. Batting first, Virender Sehwag smashed 173 runs in 199 balls, whereas Dravid added 104 runs in 227. Two more centuries were added in New Zealand’s first innings by Jesse Ryder and Kane Williamson. In the second innings, though, when all of India’s major names failed, VVS Laxman struck a crucial 91, whereas Harbhajan Singh surprised the opponent with his 115-run inning in 193 balls. However, like several other above-mentioned games, this match also ended in a draw for Dravid and India despite him scoring a century.
The third match of the 2010 series was crucial for both sides, as the first two games had ended in a draw. In the first innings, the Indian bowlers had done a good job wrapping the Kiwis within 193 runs. It was then the turn for the Indian batters to rule the game, and Dravid turned the heat by hitting 191 runs off 396 deliveries. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had added 78 and 74 runs, respectively, whereas Sachin Tendulkar scored 61 runs and MS Dhoni scored 98, taking the total to 566 runs. Dravid’s inning gave India a win, securing the series for the Men in Blue.
Last but not least, for the record, Rahul Dravid remains the highest run-scorer for India against New Zealand in Test cricket, with 1,659 runs in 15 Test matches.
