Men in Blue’s cricket rivalry with the Black Caps has its own significance.

India & New Zealand have managed to kindle a rivalry of their own in the recent times. India have lost only one of their last eight bilateral series in all formats, while New Zealand have lost only three of their last seventeen bilateral series in all formats. Yes, seventeen.?

Despite all their standout results, slipping up at the final hurdle has been a recent issue neither side has been able to shake off.?It is an issue that has hampered India, more so than New Zealand. The final of the World Test Championship in 2021 saw the two sides battle it out at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, where Kane Williamson's side emerged triumphant. The Blackcaps won the one-off game on that occasion, lifting the glorious Test mace and elongating India's quest for an ICC trophy.?

Take a step back in recent history and the gloomy semi-finals between the two sides during the 2019 World Cup in England come to memory. It ended in heartbreak for India as the Blackcaps went through to the finals, but eventually stumbled to end up as runners-up against the hosts.?

More recently, the Kiwis knocked India out of the T20 World Cup last year. This year, the two sides met with similar fates in the T20 World Cup after being brutally knocked out in the semi-finals last week. England dismantled India while Pakistan breezed past New Zealand, leaving the two so-called 'champion' sides wondering where it all went wrong this time.

With the shortest of turnarounds between the tournament and this bilateral tour, India have opted to rest most of their senior players for the tour. Under the leadership of new captain Hardik Pandya, the team might have to make some changes with regards to how they approach the limited overs game. In trying to work out a move for the future, the Men in Blue could look to take some inspiration from the past.

The Indian Team had never won a white-ball game in the Land of the Long White Cloud until 1993-94. It was courtesy of Sachin’s blazing 49-ball-82 that helped his team chase down a total of 143. In a masterstroke that turned out to be a revelation for Sachin’s career and India’s future in white-ball cricket, the Mumbai batter opened for the first time in One Day Internationals in the second ODI of the four-match series.

The move paid instant dividends as Sachin repaid the team management's faith, giving the subcontinent side their first taste of victory on Kiwi shores. Azhar's team eventually drew the series 2-2, which gave birth to a sense of belief that India’s time to dominate the world stage was closer than it seemed. They weren’t going to settle for being backyard bullies anymore.

However, it wasn't until 2008-09 that the team finally managed to win an ODI series under the leadership of?captain cool Dhoni. Sehwag was the trailblazer for India in that series, delivering a Player of the Series performance, scoring 259 runs in the five matches.?

The next time India returned to those shores for an ODI series, the Kiwis returned the favour by blowing them away with a 4-0 win in 2013-14. Having made his mark after debuting in India in 2010, Kane Williamson grabbed the headlines in the ODI series four years later, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 361 runs to his name.

The results from the last couple of times India visited New Zealand suggest that the teams have been a lot more competitive in the white-ball bilateral series in recent history. This was a significant step in the right direction for India, proving that they can not only compete but also win games away from home in challenging conditions.

The 2018-19 tour was focused on the upcoming World Cup that year and the visitors seemed to pass their tests with flying colors with a 4-1 win in the ODIs. However, the team was brought back down to earth with a hard-fought loss in the T20I series.

In 2019-20, New Zealand were at the peak of their powers in all formats. They proved that with a thumping 3-0 win against India in the ODIs. It was the first time that India were whitewashed in an ODI series since losing 5–0 to the West Indies in March 1989. The tables were turned in the shortest format though, with India becoming the first side to whitewash their opponents in a five-match bilateral T20I series. It was a series that saw the coming of age of KL Rahul in many ways, with the Bangalore batter amassing 224 runs to help his side dominate proceedings.

The Indian Men’s team haven’t been to the island nation since then but have hosted the Kiwis on a few occasions. It was only last year at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai when Ajaz Patel scripted his name into the folklores of Test cricket. The Mumbai-born Kiwi all-rounder became only the third player to take 10 wickets in a single innings, joining Jim Laker and Anil Kumble on exclusive list. Despite his performance, the visitors lost that game by a staggering 372-run margin.

Heading into the white-ball series in New Zealand, the hosts will start off as favourites with all the resources they have at their disposal. However, the current Indian side have the opportunity to pull a few masterstrokes of their own. The presence of Rishabh Pant gives them an avenue to make a choice like the veterans did in 93-94. After a recent slump, the team management has the opportunity to offer a spot to the Delhi batter at the top of the order. He might not go on to achieve the things Sachin did throughout his illustrious career but if he does get anywhere near it, he’d have done an exceptional job for himself and his team.

With two modern-day greats in Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson also closing in on the twilight of their careers, the time might be right for both teams to look to the future and begin the process of ushering them into a new era. As India visits New Zealand's shores for this white-ball tour, they will look to do exactly that, especially in the shortest format starting 18 November onwards.