Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill or Rohit Sharma - Which India batter has the best record against New Zealand?

Add as a preferred source on Google

India's dream of winning the Third World Cup on home soil will take a huge test as they take on New Zealand in the semifinal on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The Indian team has had a flawless campaign so far, winning all of their nine group-stage matches, while New Zealand managed to scrape through to the last four with a victory in their final league match.

It will be a monumental encounter as billions of Indian fans are anticipating a date in the Final at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium. Although the Indian team overcame the Kiwi challenge easily in the group stages, there is no room for complacency as the semifinal is going to be a different ball game altogether.

India's gigantic batting stars have so far done justice to their names with excellent performances in this tournament. Indian captain Rohit Sharma has scored runs in a dominating fashion, and stalwart Virat Kohli has also been fantastic in the tournament. Along with the duo, Shreyas Iyer has been a prolific scorer, while Shubman Gill, KL Rahul have also chipped in with some valuable runs.

But how have the Indian batters fared against New Zealand in their career? In this article, we shall take a look at how India's top five have performed against the Black Caps in their ODI career.

Rohit Sharma

India captain Rohit Sharma has a moderate record against New Zealand. Sharma has so far scored 935 runs in 26 innings, with an average of 37.4, which is not as lofty as his overall ODI average of 49.

Rohit has two ODI centuries against the Kiwis, and he scored a stormy 46 off just 40 balls in the group stage match in Dharamshala.

Rohit Sharma stats vs NZ

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has stellar figures when it comes to New Zealand. The opener scored a double century against them earlier this year and has a lofty average north of 70 against them. Gill also played the earlier match in Dharamshala and scored 26 runs. Incidentally, the 24-year-old made his international debut against New Zealand in 2019. In just nine innings, Gill has already hit 52 fours and 18 sixes against the Kiwis.

Shubman Gill stats vs NZ

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is a player who has shown his dominance over all the opponents in his career. And when it comes to New Zealand, that is not an exception. Kohli has managed 1528 runs in just 30 matches against India's semi-final opponents with a lofty average over 56.

Kohli was excellent in the previous match against the Kiwis as he scored a match-winning 95 against them.

Virat Kohli stats vs NZ

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has played only seven matches against New Zealand in his career. The Indian batter scored his maiden ODI hundred against the Kiwis in 2020, and has been a prolific scorer against them.

Iyer managed to score 33 off 29 balls in the earlier match against the Oceania side in this World Cup. Shreyas has never scored less than 30 in his career against the Kiwis.

Shreyas Iyer stats vs NZ

KL Rahul

KL Rahul's batting exploits have yielded him decent results in the ODIs against New Zealand. In five innings, KL Rahul has amassed 232 runs against Kiwis, with a century and a fifty to his name thus far.

KL Rahul stats vs NZ

All of India's top five do have a prolific record against New Zealand and will be looking forward to showcase their authority over the Kiwi bowlers. It is going to be a massive battle but Indian batters do have statistical advantage over their semifinal counterparts.