India national cricket team vs west indies cricket team matches

Few fixtures in cricket carry as much history as India versus West Indies. This rivalry stretches back to the late 1940s and has produced some of the sport’s most talked-about moments, from a stunning World Cup final upset to record-breaking run fests in T20 cricket.

If you are trying to understand India vs West Indies cricket history, the full head-to-head record, or how the two teams stack up across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, this guide covers everything in one place. We looked at match data across all formats, checked the numbers against official cricket records, and pulled out the moments that actually matter to fans searching for this information.

india national cricket team vs west indies cricket team matches

The Origins of the India vs West Indies Rivalry

India and West Indies first met in Test cricket in November 1948, at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi. That opening match ended in a draw, and so did the next two games of that series. It took until the fourth Test, in Chennai, for West Indies to register their first win against India, by an innings and 193 runs.

Those early series set the tone for decades to come. West Indies, powered by legendary batters and some of the fastest bowling attacks the game has ever seen, dominated the head-to-head for much of the twentieth century. India, by contrast, grew into a cricketing powerhouse over time, and the balance of the rivalry has shifted significantly since the 1990s.

The teams didn’t meet in one-day cricket until 1979, during the Prudential World Cup in England, where West Indies won comfortably by 9 wickets at Edgbaston. T20 internationals between the two sides began much later, in 2009, at the World T20 in London.

India vs West Indies Head to Head Record Across All Formats

As of the most recent meetings, India and West Indies have played 273 international matches across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is combined. Here’s how the India vs West Indies head to head record breaks down by format.

Test Match Record

The two sides have played 100 Test matches against each other. West Indies hold a slight edge in this format, with 30 wins to India’s 23, and a large number of matches, 47 in total, ending in a draw. That high draw count reflects how competitive many of these series have been, especially through the 1970s and 1980s when both teams had strong batting line-ups capable of grinding out long innings.

ODI Record

In one-day internationals, India have the upper hand. The two teams have met 142 times, with India winning 72 matches and West Indies winning 64. Two games ended in a tie, and four were washed out or ended without a result. India’s dominance in this format has grown noticeably since the early 2000s, as the team built depth in both batting and bowling.

T20I Record

India also lead the T20I head to head. Out of 31 matches played, India have won 20 and West Indies have won 10, with one match ending without a result. This includes several meetings at major ICC tournaments, where both sides have had their share of thrilling finishes.

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India vs West Indies World Cup History

Some of the most memorable India vs West Indies matches have come on the World Cup stage.

The 1983 World Cup Final

No discussion of this rivalry is complete without the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s. West Indies were the defending two-time champions and heavy favorites. India, led by Kapil Dev, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in cricket history, bowling out the Caribbean side and winning by 43 runs. That win is widely credited with changing the trajectory of Indian cricket, sparking interest in the sport across the country for generations.

T20 World Cup Meetings

India and West Indies have crossed paths five times at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. India have won three of those matches, West Indies two. Their most recent T20 World Cup meeting came in the Super Eight stage, where India won by 5 wickets at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Matches at this tournament tend to be tight and high scoring, given the aggressive batting styles both sides bring to white-ball cricket.

Memorable and Record-Breaking India vs West Indies Matches

Beyond the head-to-head numbers, certain matches stand out for their scale or drama.

Biggest Wins

India’s largest Test win over West Indies came in October 2018 at Rajkot, when they won by an innings and 272 runs after posting a mammoth 649 for 9 declared. Prithvi Shaw scored a century on debut, and Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant all contributed heavily.

Going the other way, West Indies’ biggest Test win over India came in 1958-59 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where they won by an innings and 336 runs, one of the heaviest defeats India has suffered in the format.

Highest and Lowest Scores

One of the most extraordinary T20I matches between these two sides came in 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. West Indies posted 245 for 6, the third-highest T20I total at the time, and then held on to win by a single run after India fell just short chasing 246. Lokesh Rahul scored an unbeaten 110, and the match produced a combined 489 runs with 32 sixes, a record for T20I cricket at that point.

A Recent Dominant ODI Performance

In a more recent series decider in Trinidad, India chased down the series with a 200-run win at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, with Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill putting on a 143-run opening partnership. That win extended India’s run of bilateral ODI series victories against West Indies to 13 in a row at the time, a sign of how the balance of power in this format has shifted.

India vs West Indies Test Series History

India’s early tours to the Caribbean and West Indies’ early visits to India were played on tough, low-scoring pitches, and results often depended heavily on which team adjusted faster to local conditions. Through the 1970s and into the 1980s, West Indies’ fast bowling attack, featuring names like Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, and Joel Garner, made touring the Caribbean one of the toughest assignments in world cricket.

India’s fortunes in Test series against West Indies improved from the 2000s onward, coinciding with the rise of Indian pace bowling and stronger batting depth. Series wins that once seemed unlikely became more common, and by the 2010s India were regularly winning series both at home and away against the Windies.

India vs West Indies ODI Series History

One-day cricket has generally favored India more than Tests have. West Indies were the dominant ODI side of the late 1970s and early 1980s, having won the first two World Cups. But as their fast-bowling pipeline thinned out over the following decades, India’s more balanced squads began winning series more consistently, particularly on home soil and in bilateral tours to the Caribbean.

India vs West Indies T20I Series History

T20 cricket is the newest format in this rivalry, and it has produced some of the most entertaining cricket between the two sides. Both teams play an attacking brand of T20 cricket, which tends to produce high-scoring, unpredictable matches. India’s stronger overall bowling depth in this format has helped them build a clear lead in the T20I head-to-head, though West Indies remain capable of producing explosive upsets, as shown by their 2016 win in Florida.

Key Players Who Shaped the Rivalry

A handful of players have left a lasting mark on India vs West Indies matches over the decades.

Sir Vivian Richards terrorized bowling attacks across formats and was one of the most feared batters West Indies ever produced. Brian Lara, arguably the greatest batter of his generation, scored heavily against India, including some of his career-best Test innings. Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose formed a fast-bowling partnership that troubled Indian batting line-ups for years.

On India’s side, Sunil Gavaskar built his reputation partly through his performances against the fearsome West Indian pace attacks of the 1970s and 1980s. Kapil Dev led India to their famous 1983 World Cup win. In more recent years, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have both scored heavily against West Indies across formats, and India’s fast-bowling unit has consistently troubled the Windies batting order in home conditions.

Latest Match and Recent Form

India’s most recent meetings with West Indies have come in T20 World Cup play, where India won a Super Eight fixture by 5 wickets at Eden Gardens. Over the last several years, India have generally had the stronger record in white-ball cricket, while Test matches between the two sides have become less frequent as India’s Test tours now focus more on shorter trips to the Caribbean.

For fans wanting up-to-date scorecards and ball-by-ball data, checking dedicated cricket statistics sites alongside your usual cricket news source is the best way to stay current, since squads and results change from series to series.

Common Mistakes People Make When Checking Head to Head Records

A few things trip people up when they search for India vs West Indies records.

Mixing up formats. Test, ODI, and T20I records are tracked separately, and combining them without checking the source can give a misleading picture of who is “winning” the rivalry overall.

Using outdated totals. Because these two teams still play each other regularly, match counts and win totals change every year. A number that was accurate two years ago may already be out of date.

Confusing bilateral series with World Cup meetings. Some of the most famous India vs West Indies matches happened at ICC tournaments rather than in regular bilateral series, and these are sometimes counted separately in historical databases.

Ignoring tied and no-result matches. A small number of matches in both ODIs and T20Is ended in ties or with no result. Skipping these can make the win-loss totals not add up to the total matches played.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times have India and West Indies played each other in total?
India and West Indies have played 273 international matches combined across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Who has won more matches between India and West Indies?
India lead the overall win count, largely because of their strong ODI and T20I records, even though West Indies hold a narrow edge in Test matches.

What is India’s biggest win over West Indies?
India’s largest Test win over West Indies came in October 2018 at Rajkot, by an innings and 272 runs.

What is West Indies’ biggest win over India?
West Indies’ largest Test win over India came in 1958-59 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, by an innings and 336 runs.

When did India and West Indies first play each other?
Their first Test match was played in November 1948 at Delhi, and it ended in a draw.

How many times have India and West Indies met at the World Cup?
Their most famous World Cup meeting was the 1983 final at Lord’s, which India won by 43 runs. They have also met multiple times at the T20 World Cup.

What was the highest-scoring India vs West Indies T20I match?
A 2016 T20I in Fort Lauderdale, Florida produced a combined 489 runs, with West Indies winning by just 1 run.

Do India and West Indies still play Test cricket against each other regularly?
Yes, though tours have become shorter and less frequent compared to the more extensive series played in past decades.

Wrapping Up the India vs West Indies Rivalry

The India vs West Indies fixture has evolved from a one-sided contest dominated by Caribbean fast bowling into one of the more balanced, competitive rivalries in modern cricket. Test matches still carry the historical weight of past decades, while ODIs and T20Is have become the stage for India’s more recent dominance.

Whatever format you’re watching, this matchup rarely disappoints, and the numbers behind it tell a story of two cricketing nations that have pushed each other for over 75 years.

India vs West Indies Matches Show a Legendary Rivalry Built Over 75 Years