IND 2-0 up vs NZ in ODI series: List of teams who have lost a ODI series after taking 2-0 lead
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India lead New Zealand 2-0 after two close wins, and history now offers a warning.
- Only a handful of teams have thrown away such a lead in a series of five or more matches.
- India themselves have suffered this fate once before, and the details may surprise fans.
Can New Zealand come back from 0-2 down? Full record of bilateral ODI comebacks in history
India head into the third ODI against New Zealand with a 2-0 lead, though cricket history shows that such an advantage is not always the safe position it appears to be. A small group of teams have let a similar lead slip in a bilateral series, and the names on that list include India themselves.
The hosts were beaten in Auckland by five wickets, a result reached under the DLS method, and then lost again in Wellington by four runs, once more through DLS. Those two results have put India in front in the five-match series, and the remaining games will decide whether New Zealand can mount a recovery.
The record books say it has been done only rarely, as a 0-2 deficit has been overturned just five times in ODI series of five or more matches.
The sections below set out who has managed it, how India fell short in the past, and when the rest of the current series will be played.
MORE: Rahul hailed as India clinch a narrow win in Wellington
Teams who lost an ODI series after leading 2-0: Full list
South Africa have achieved this twice, while Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia have each done it once. That makes it a very uncommon feat, since it has happened only five times in more than 50 years of men’s ODI cricket.
The table below lists the sides that surrendered a 2-0 lead, along with the team that came back.
Team that lost after leading 2-0Team that won from 0-2 downMatches in seriesSeasonPakistanSouth Africa52003-04ZimbabweBangladesh52004-05IndiaPakistan62004-05EnglandSouth Africa52015-16IndiaAustralia52018-19How South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia pulled off famous ODI comebacks
In 2003, Pakistan took a 2-0 lead at home with wins in Lahore, by 8 runs and then by 42 runs. South Africa answered by winning in Faisalabad by 13 runs and then twice in Rawalpindi, by six wickets and by seven wickets, to take the series 3-2.
Two years later, Zimbabwe won the first two games in Dhaka, by 102 runs and 31 runs. Habibul Bashar’s Bangladesh then took the last three, in Dhaka by 40 runs and in Chattogram by 58 runs and eight wickets respectively, to complete a historic turnaround.
In 2016, England went 2-0 up in South Africa after winning in Bloemfontein by 39 runs via DLS, and in Port Elizabeth, by five wickets. AB de Villiers’ side then won at Centurion by seven wickets, in Johannesburg by one wicket and in Cape Town by five wickets.
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When India conceded a 2-0 lead to Pakistan & Australia
India have lost a series after leading 2-0 on two occasions, and this will be a familiar story for many supporters. The most recent was in 2019, when Virat Kohli’s team went ahead after wins in Hyderabad, by six wickets, and Nagpur, by eight runs.
Aaron Finch’s Australia then took charge, helped by Usman Khawaja’s centuries, and won in Ranchi by 32 runs, in Mohali by four wickets and in Delhi by 35 runs.
India’s other collapse from a 2-0 position came in the six-match home series against Pakistan in April 2005. The hosts began strongly, winning the opener in Kochi by 87 runs after posting 281/8, and then taking the second game at Visakhapatnam by 58 runs, when their total of 356/9 proved too much for a Pakistan side that finished on 298.
The visitors hit back in Jamshedpur, where they scored 319/9 and won by 106 runs, and they stayed in control at Ahmedabad, where a rain-shortened 48-over game ended with Pakistan reaching 319/7 in pursuit of 316 and winning by three wickets. They then chased a target of 250 at Kanpur, finishing on 252/5 in 42.1 overs, before sealing the series 4-2 in Delhi, where they made 303/8 and restricted India to 144 in 37 overs to win by 159 runs.
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India vs New Zealand 2026 ODI series: schedule and current standing
MatchDateVenueStatus1st ODIWed, Nov 4Eden Park, AucklandIndia won by 5 wickets (DLS)2nd ODISat, Nov 7Sky Stadium, WellingtonIndia won by 4 runs (DLS)3rd ODITue, Nov 10Seddon Park, HamiltonUpcoming4th ODIFri, Nov 13Bay Oval, Mount MaunganuiUpcoming5th ODISun, Nov 15Bay Oval, Mount MaunganuiUpcomingFor all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram,and X (Twitter)pages.