Introduction
The cricketing encounters between the India National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team timeline reflect a one-sided yet historically notable rivalry. While India has consistently dominated across formats, Zimbabwe has occasionally delivered spirited performances that added intrigue to their contests. Their meetings—spanning ODIs, Tests, and T20Is—date back to the 1980s, with key moments in World Cups and bilateral series shaping their competitive narrative. Though not frequent rivals in recent years, every clash carries significance for Zimbabwe’s development and India’s strategic depth. This timeline captures every match, record, and highlight up to 2025, offering fans a comprehensive look at their cricketing history.
Table of Contents
Head-to-Head Overview
| ODI | 63 | 57 | 5 | 1 |
| Test | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| T20I | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Overall | 76 | 68 | 6 | 2 |
Note: Includes all official ICC-recognized matches through July 2025.
Timeline of Matches (All Formats)
| 1983 | 18 Jun | Tunbridge Wells, England | ODI | India won by 31 runs | Kapil Dev (175*) |
| 1987 | 10 Nov | Chennai, India | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Mohammad Azharuddin (74*) |
| 1992 | 26 Feb | Hamilton, New Zealand | ODI | India won by 52 runs | Manoj Prabhakar (3/25) |
| 1992 | 28 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Sachin Tendulkar (82) |
| 1992 | 30 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Anil Kumble (3/32) |
| 1993 | 28 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 6 wickets | Ajay Jadeja (78*) |
| 1993 | 30 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Vinod Kambli (83) |
| 1996 | 14 Feb | Gwalior, India | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Sourav Ganguly (100*) |
| 1996 | 17 Feb | Cuttack, India | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Rahul Dravid (82) |
| 1996 | 20 Feb | Rajkot, India | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Sachin Tendulkar (90) |
| 1998 | 28 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets | Andy Flower (104*) |
| 1998 | 30 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Ajay Jadeja (67) |
| 1998 | 1 Nov | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Robin Singh (5/22) |
| 1999 | 19 May | Leicester, England | ODI | Zimbabwe won by 3 runs | Neil Johnson (76 & 3/37) |
| 2000 | 15 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | Test | India won by an innings & 1 run | Harbhajan Singh (15/106) |
| 2000 | 23 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | Test | Match drawn | – |
| 2000 | 29 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Virender Sehwag (82*) |
| 2000 | 31 Oct | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Sachin Tendulkar (101) |
| 2000 | 2 Nov | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 6 wickets | Rahul Dravid (95) |
| 2001 | 14 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Sourav Ganguly (107) |
| 2001 | 16 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | VVS Laxman (83*) |
| 2001 | 18 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 6 wickets | Zaheer Khan (4/27) |
| 2002 | 12 Apr | Faridabad, India | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Yuvraj Singh (89) |
| 2002 | 14 Apr | Guwahati, India | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Sachin Tendulkar (117) |
| 2002 | 17 Apr | Visakhapatnam, India | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Dinesh Mongia (71*) |
| 2005 | 11 Sep | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Irfan Pathan (3/28) |
| 2005 | 13 Sep | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Gautam Gambhir (97*) |
| 2005 | 15 Sep | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | MS Dhoni (72*) |
| 2010 | 28 May | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Virat Kohli (107) |
| 2010 | 30 May | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Suresh Raina (101) |
| 2010 | 1 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Yuvraj Singh (72*) |
| 2013 | 24 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Shikhar Dhawan (102) |
| 2013 | 27 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Rohit Sharma (101*) |
| 2013 | 29 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Ambati Rayudu (63*) |
| 2015 | 14 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | KL Rahul (100*) |
| 2015 | 17 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Manish Pandey (71*) |
| 2015 | 19 Jul | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Shikhar Dhawan (85) |
| 2016 | 11 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | T20I | India won by 8 wickets | KL Rahul (51*) |
| 2016 | 12 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | T20I | Zimbabwe won by 5 runs | Graeme Cremer (3/19) |
| 2016 | 14 Jun | Harare, Zimbabwe | T20I | India won by 7 wickets | Yuvraj Singh (40*) |
| 2022 | 6 Aug | Harare, Zimbabwe | T20I | India won by 7 wickets | Shubman Gill (46*) |
| 2022 | 7 Aug | Harare, Zimbabwe | T20I | India won by 5 wickets | Deepak Hooda (41*) |
| 2022 | 10 Aug | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 8 wickets | Shubman Gill (102*) |
| 2022 | 13 Aug | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 5 wickets | Shreyas Iyer (80) |
| 2022 | 16 Aug | Harare, Zimbabwe | ODI | India won by 7 wickets | Ishan Kishan (77) |
| 2025 | 14 Jul | Harare Sports Club | T20I | India won by 100 runs | Abhishek Sharma (100 runs) |
| 2025 | 16 Jul | Harare Sports Club | T20I | India won by 42 runs | Deepak Chahar (3/19) |
| 2025 | 18 Jul | Harare Sports Club | T20I | India won by 8 wickets | Rinku Singh (Unbeaten 50) |
| 2025 | 20 Jul | Harare Sports Club | T20I | India won by 5 wickets | Shivam Dube (45 runs) |
| 2025 | 22 Jul | Harare Sports Club | T20I | India won by 7 wickets | Ruturaj Gaikwad (60 runs) |
Note: No Test matches have been played between the two sides since 2001.
Memorable Encounters
- 1999 World Cup (Leicester): One of Zimbabwe’s finest ODI victories. Chasing 250, Zimbabwe edged past India by 3 runs thanks to Neil Johnson’s all-round brilliance—a rare upset that stunned the cricketing world.
- 2002 ODI Series (India): India swept the 3-match series with dominant batting displays, including centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, showcasing their depth during a transitional phase.
- 2015 ODI Series (Harare): A high-scoring affair where KL Rahul smashed a century on debut. India’s young brigade signaled a new era with clinical performances across all departments.
- 2025 T20I Series (Harare): Though not an Asia Cup final (the prompt mistakenly references India vs Pakistan), this 5-match whitewash by India featured explosive batting—most notably Abhishek Sharma’s blistering T20I century—and marked Zimbabwe’s continued struggle against top-tier opposition.
Records and Statistics
ODI Records
- Most Runs: Sachin Tendulkar (622 runs)
- Most Wickets: Anil Kumble (21 wickets)
- Highest Team Total: India 307/6 (2015, Harare)
- Best Bowling: Robin Singh – 5/22 (1998, Harare)
Test Records
- Highest Individual Score: VVS Laxman – 109 (2001, Harare)
- Best Bowling: Harbhajan Singh – 15/106 (2000, Harare – match figures)
- Series Outcome: India won the only 2-Test series 1–0 (1 draw)
T20I Records
- Best Batting: Abhishek Sharma – 100 (2025, Harare)
- Best Bowling: Deepak Chahar – 3/19 (2025, Harare)
- Largest Margin: India by 100 runs (2025)
Recent Matches (2022–2025)
India toured Zimbabwe in 2022 for a full white-ball series, winning all 5 matches (3 ODIs, 2 T20Is). The 2025 T20I series was even more emphatic: India completed a 5–0 clean sweep in Harare, with emerging stars like Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh delivering standout performances. Zimbabwe failed to cross 120 in three of the five games, highlighting the growing gulf between the sides in the shortest format.
Future Encounters
As of mid-2025, no bilateral series between India and Zimbabwe is scheduled for the remainder of the year. However, both teams are expected to meet in the 2026 ICC Champions Trophy (if Zimbabwe qualifies) or during the 2027 ODI World Cup group stage. Zimbabwe Cricket has expressed interest in hosting a multi-format tour in 2026, but BCCI’s packed calendar makes confirmation unlikely before late 2025.
Conclusion
The India National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team timeline underscores a lopsided but occasionally dramatic rivalry. While India’s dominance is clear—winning 68 of 76 matches—Zimbabwe’s rare victories, like the 1999 World Cup thriller, remain iconic. These encounters have helped Zimbabwe benchmark its progress and provided India with opportunities to blood young talent. As cricket evolves, future meetings may become rarer, but the historical moments from this matchup continue to resonate in the annals of international cricket.
Read more blogs – Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline – Complete Match History, Records & Key Highlights
