Instances of New Zealand defending targets under 200 in Tests
In a historic turn of events, New Zealand whitewashed India in the Test series, winning it 3-0. This is the first time in 92 years that India have been whitewashed at home. The final match was played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, where New Zealand sealed their victory after defending 147 runs. Here are the instances of NZ defending targets under 200 in Tests.
137 versus England, 1978
New Zealand defended a paltry-looking 137 against visitors England in the 1978 Wellington Test. The Brits never got going as they lost their first four wickets inside 20 runs. Ian Botham (19) and Phil Edmonds (11) were the only ones to enter double digits as England were folded for 64. While Richard Hadlee removed six batters, Richard Collinge claimed three wickets.
147 versus India, 2024
Chasing 147 in the aforementioned game, India were off to a disastrous start. Ajaz Patel spun his web and reduced the hosts to 29/5. Though Rishabh Pant gave the Kiwis a scare with a fiery fifty, India's hopes were shattered after he departed for 64. India were folded for 121 as Patel finished with six wickets. Glenn Phillips claimed a three-fer.
176 vs Pakistan, 2018
NZ claimed a historic four-run win in the 2018 Abu Dhabi Test against Pakistan. They successfully defended 176 as Ajaz Patel starred with a five-wicket haul on debut. Notably, Pakistan were cruising at 130/3 before losing wickets in a cluster. None of their last five batters could manage even five runs as efforts from Azhar Ali (65) and Asad Shafiq (45) went in vain.
