On August 8, the birthday of ex-New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is commemorated. A premier batsman of today’s era, Williamson boasts an impressive record of 8,124 runs in 94 Test matches, maintaining an average of 54.89.
He has notched up 28 hundreds and 33 fifties, all accomplished over 164 innings. His personal best score stands at 251, and he holds the title of New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in Test matches.
In 161 ODIs, the right-handed player has made 6,554 runs at an average of 47.83. His highest score was 148, and he achieved 13 centuries and 42 half-centuries in his ODI career.
Let’s examine Kane Williamson’s five standout performances against India:
#5 94* at Auckland, 2022
Under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan, India set a score of 306 for seven in the initial One Day International against New Zealand in Auckland.
While Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer shone in batting, the subsequent batsmen couldn’t fully take advantage of this promising beginning.
In reply, New Zealand displayed a composed demeanor even though they lost three wickets for 88 runs. Tom Latham partnered with Kane Williamson and guided the team to victory without any disruptions.
#4 95(48) at Hamilton, T20I
The T20I series between India and New Zealand was an exhilarating encounter. India took the batting initiative, and under the guidance of Rohit Sharma, they set a total of 179 runs within their allocated 20 overs.
In reply, it was Kane Williamson who took charge, emerging as the key player with a remarkable 95 runs off 48 deliveries. His performance was strategic, maintaining a well-paced innings.
Nonetheless, Shardul Thakur guaranteed that the game concluded in a draw, leading India to secure victory during the subsequent super over.
#3 113 at Auckland, Test
In 2014, Kane Williamson displayed a remarkable century as New Zealand accumulated a substantial 503 runs in their initial innings. He received excellent backing from Brendon McCullum, who shined with a double century.
As a reply, India’s innings were swiftly terminated at 202 runs. Nevertheless, the Indian bowlers made a strong comeback, displaying their prowess by restricting New Zealand to a mere 105 runs in their subsequent innings.
In pursuit of 407 runs, Shikhar Dhawan achieved a century, yet a stumble in the middle-order caused India to miss the target by 40 runs.
#2 118 at Delhi, ODI
Emerging victorious against India on their home turf, particularly in a match hosted at New Delhi with a sluggish pitch, is a considerable accomplishment.
Still, Kane Williamson’s spin mastery shone through as he anchored New Zealand with a remarkable century, driving them to 242. Other batsmen struggled, leaving Williamson to fight solo.
Ultimately, this score proved sufficient as Tim Southee and Trent Boult collaborated to dismantle India’s batting lineup. Despite the contributions of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav, India faced a six-run defeat.
#1 131 at Ahmedabad, Test
New Zealand cricket insiders always saw Kane Williamson as their top batter, even better than Martin Crowe. He fulfilled these hopes by debuting with a century in Ahmedabad, India.
This accomplishment positioned him as the eighth New Zealand cricketer to secure a century during his Test debut. New Zealand had a commanding presence in this game, and if not for Harbhajan Singh’s century, they would have secured a victory.
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