India reach 200 T20I wins on 300th match against New Zealand
India became the first team to 200 T20I wins during their 300th match, beating New Zealand by four wickets in Christchurch.
India became the first men's team to reach 200 wins in T20Is during their four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. The team also played its 300th T20I in the same match, becoming only the second side after Pakistan to reach the milestone. Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy scored an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls in a 69-run partnership that took India to 181 for six with one ball to spare.
New Zealand posted 180 for five, with Glenn Phillips scoring 70 off 43 balls. Mitchell Santner took four wickets for 21 runs, but India chased down the target after recovering from 70 for five. India have now won 200 of their 300 T20Is, lost 83, tied seven and had 10 no-results, giving them a win-loss ratio of 2.409. Pakistan have played 304 matches but recorded 176 wins.
The third T20I will be played in Wellington. The series concludes in Hamilton before India begins a five-match ODI series against New Zealand on November 4.
CricHubb Take
India's achievement shows the value of sustained international scheduling. While Pakistan played four more matches, India converted their opportunities into wins more consistently across two decades of T20 cricket.