Virat Kohli is back, and his New Zealand numbers spell exciting times for India

India are back in action on Wednesday, when they take on New Zealand in the first of five ODIs at Eden Park, Auckland. After winning the T20I series, the mood in the Indian dressing room is upbeat. Adding to that, India get a major boost to their batting with the return of Virat Kohli.

Kohli comes into the series in good form. In the opening ODI of India’s home series against West Indies, he struck an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls, which took him past 15,000 ODI runs and made him only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the mark. His return means the Men in Blue have plenty of experience to call on, along with a batter who can single-handedly change the course of a game.

New Zealand is known for its lively, seam-friendly conditions, which have shaped the game there over the years. Having Kohli in the side lifts the intensity of the group and brings in a campaigner whose numbers in New Zealand are seriously impressive.

Kohli’s overall record against New Zealand in ODIs is outstanding. He has scored 1,897 runs in 36 matches against the Black Caps at an average of 57.48. He has smashed seven centuries against the Kiwis, the most by any batter, along with 10 half-centuries. His highest score of an unbeaten 154 stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The numbers stay impressive when narrowed down to the games he has played in New Zealand. He has featured in 13 ODIs in the country, scoring 596 runs and remaining unbeaten once.

An average of 49.66 underlines how consistently Kohli has scored in New Zealand. More than that, he has scored at a brisk pace, with a strike rate of 91.41. He has one century and four fifties in the country. Unfortunately, his highest score there came in a losing cause, when he struck 123 off 111 balls in Napier in 2014.

His numbers over the last two years also show he remains at his best. He scored 651 runs in 13 innings in 2025 at an average of 65.10. In 2026 so far, he has 552 runs in nine innings at an average of 69, with two centuries, three fifties and a highest score of an unbeaten 139.

Several milestones are within reach too. Kohli needs 75 runs to overtake Ricky Ponting (1,971) as the highest run-scorer in ODIs against New Zealand. He is also four runs short of 600 ODI runs in New Zealand and 12 runs away from becoming the first batter to score 13,000 ODI runs at No. 3.

All told, India will be excited to see Kohli in action against a formidable New Zealand side. Another reason India will be driven to go hard at the Kiwis is the defeat they suffered at home in January, when New Zealand won the ODI series 2-1, their first-ever ODI series win in India.

That is exactly why Kohli’s return, at the peak of his powers, adds extra spice to the contest.