India and New Zealand have grown into fierce rivals over the last few years. The Kiwis have had the better of the Indians in the ICC events on multiple occasions. Both nations have played a lot with each other across formats. The first World Test Championship final was played between the two teams in Southampton, where New Zealand defeated India comprehensively.  The 2019 World Cup semi-final, in which India lost against the same team, was a forgettable one for the Indian fans as well. The red ball cricket between the two teams has seen a lot of historic games. The Indian batting has been one of the best to watch over the years, just like the bowling attack of the Kiwis. Let us have a look at the highest scores by India in tests against New Zealand.

1. 583/7d

This is India’s highest score in the test format against The Kiwis. The 1999 test of Ahmedabad was a historic one for the hosts, as they got to their highest test total against New Zealand. India opted to bat first on a batting-friendly deck and made the most of their opportunity. They scored a mammoth 583 runs because of the great contributions of Sadagoppan Ramesh (110), Sourav Ganguly (125), and most importantly, the skipper, Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a brilliant double-century (217). In reply, New Zealand were all out for 308 runs as Anil Kumble claimed a magnificent fifer. The match ended in a draw as both teams managed to play the five days.

2. 566/8d

India chased a first-innings total of a mere 193 runs. In reply, India scored a big 566 runs. Ishant Sharma rattled the Kiwis in the first innings after taking a four-wicket haul. It was now the turn of the Indian batters to set up a big score. Rahul Dravid scored a fantastic 191, followed by a masterclass from the skipper, MS Dhoni, who fell just two short of a majestic hundred.  Not to forget the brilliant starts from the openers, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, scored 78 and 74, respectively.  The master blaster, too, scored a fine half-century and contributed with 61 runs. India won the match by an innings and 198 runs.

3. 557/6d

India declared the innings after scoring 557 runs at the loss of seven wickets. The match took place in Indore on the 8th of October 2016. India opted to bat first and put a formidable total on the board. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane played brilliant knocks of 211 and 188, respectively. The Indian skipper, Kohli, was relentless with the bat, and so was his partner and vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane. In reply, New Zealand were bowled out for 299 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin took a six-wicket haul. In the second innings, Cheteshwar Pujara scored an unbeaten century (101*), and Ashwin, yet again, rattled the Kiwis by taking a seven-wicket haul in the second innings. India won the match by 321 runs.

4. 537/3d

The domination of this inning dates back to the 6th of January 1956, 27 years before India lifted its first World Cup. India batted first and scored a mammoth 537 runs. The famous batter, Vinoo Mankad, scored a magnificent 231, followed by his opening partner, Pankaj Roy, who scored 173 runs. New Zealand batted twice after being enforced with follow-on and lost by an innings and 109 runs.

5. 531/7d

On the 16th December 1965, India chased a score of 450 in their first innings. Indian batters Vijay Manjrekar, Nari Contractor, Gulabrai Ramchand, and Bapu Nadkarni scored 177, 62, 72, and 68, respectively. They gave India a solid setup. The match ended in a draw as New Zealand batted the third innings and scored 112/1d.

6. 524/9d

The Kanpur test of the 18th of November 1976 was a high-scoring one. The Kiwis toured India and played the second match of the series. India batted first and scored 524/d in the first innings. There were six half-centurions in the first innings for India, including Bishan Bedi, Syed Kirmani, Ashok Mankad, Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohinder Amarnath, and the little master, Sunil Gavaskar. After six days of hard work, the match ended in a draw.

7. 520/10

India played the first match of their tour to New Zealand on the 18th of March 2009. Ishant Sharma took four wickets in the first innings and set the tone for the batters. New Zealand was all out on 279, and what followed later, was a display of classical batting. India scored 520 runs as Sachin Tendulkar scored a brilliant 160. Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid also scored 72 and 66 respectively.  Zaheer Khan, too, scored a great half-century and added some crucial runs for the team. India won the match by ten wickets as they chased a small target of 39 in the fourth innings.

8. 505/3d

New Zealand toured India in 1999 and played the first test in Mohali on October 10th. India batted first and was all out for a shameful 83 runs. New Zealand went past 200 and took a decent lead. India, in reply, scored a mammoth 505 runs, which was unexpected. India made a tremendous comeback after being all out for 83 in the first innings. Rahul Dravid (144) and skipper Sachin Tendulkar (126) were the key factors in India’s fightback.  Sourav Ganguly, Sadagoppan Ramesh, and Devang Gandhi scored 64, 73, and 75, respectively. The match ended in a draw.

9. 500/5d

On the 8th of October 2003, India hosted the Kiwis for the first test of the tour in Ahmedabad. India batted first and put on a formidable 500 runs on the board. Rahul Dravid was the best performer with 222 runs, followed by the skipper, Sourav Ganguly, who scored 100 not out. The match ended in a draw.

10. 498/4d

The match was played long back in 1955 in Hyderabad. India batted first and scored 498 runs. Polly Umrigar scored 223 runs, Vijay Manjrekar scored 118, and Kripal Singh scored 100 not out. Subhash Gupte of India took seven wickets in the second innings of the match as the game ended in a draw.

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