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Sports correspondent & historian with |
The eyes of cricket fans around the globe will be on Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui in November when India plays the Black Caps in two matches of a five-match ODI series.
The visit of the Indian superstars opens an international season at Bay Oval.
The opening one-day internationals in November will be followed by two White Ferns ODI encounters against Bangladesh Women and a test match against old foes Sri Lanka.
India currently holds the ICC’s No 1 ODI ranking, with New Zealand snapping at their heels in the No 2 spot. Hundreds of millions of cricket followers worldwide will tune in to watch the ODI action at the Western Bay of Plenty venue.
The two Bay Oval matches are likely to have an extra edge as they are the final two matches of the series and could well decide the winner.
There will be an intense desire within the Indian team to exact revenge after losing the ODI series in India in January 2026.
The Black Caps bounced back from a four-wicket defeat to win the final two matches of the series.
India has played four internationals at Bay Oval before the 2026 tour.
In January 2019 the Indian team flexed its muscles with two emphatic victories, twice filling the Bay Oval. First up, India scored 324/4 before bowling the Black Caps out for 234.
The Bay Oval crowd got to watch one of the game’s all-time great batsmen, M.S. Dhoni, showcase his skills with an unbeaten 48.
Two days later, India was just as dominant, bowling New Zealand out for 243 before reaching the target with seven wickets in hand. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both passed 60 before being dismissed.
Thirteen months later, India returned to the Western Bay international venue. They warmed up for the ODI series by meeting New Zealand in the fifth T20 International, with the visitors winning a thriller by seven runs.
New Zealand struck back hard in the two sides’ fourth meeting in Mount Maunganui. K.L. Rahul earned a place on the ground’s international honours board with 112 as India was restricted to 296/7.
A 106-run opening partnership between Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls set up a dominant six-wicket win for the home side.
While India’s visit will take centre stage, there will be plenty of interest in the other three internationals at Bay Oval during the coming summer.
On the eve of Christmas, the White Ferns will square off against Bangladesh Women in two ODI matches.
For this writer, the test match against Sri Lanka in February 2027 is the standout fixture. Having grown up on test cricket before the advent of ODI and T20 formats, the twists and turns of two innings apiece provide plenty of uncertainty before the final result is decided.
The five internationals, with a number of New Zealand Cricket major association matches, will give cricket fans a mouth-watering array of action at Bay Oval during the upcoming season.
Black Caps v India (ODI) – November 13 and 15, 2026
White Ferns v Bangladesh Women (ODI) – December 21 and 23, 2026
Black Caps v Sri Lanka (Test Match) – February 4–8, 2027