Phillips Smashes 107 as New Zealand Beat India by 87 Runs in Fourth T20I
Glenn Phillips’s 49-ball 107 powered New Zealand to 259/7 and an 87-run win over India at Eden Park — a consolation victory that keeps the series alive at 3-1.
Highlights
- Glenn Phillips scored 107 off 49 balls as New Zealand posted 259/7 at Eden Park on 30 October
- India were limited to 172/9 in reply, losing by 87 runs — New Zealand’s first win of the series
- Phillips was named player of the match, equalling Martin Guptill’s record of 10 POTM awards for NZ against India in T20Is
- India still lead the series 3-1; the fifth T20I is at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on 1 November
Phillips turns a dead rubber into a demolition
New Zealand finally have a win in this series, and they have Glenn Phillips to thank for it. Batting first at Eden Park in Auckland on 30 October, the Black Caps posted 259/7 thanks to a brilliant century from Phillips, and India were limited to 172 in reply as New Zealand won by 87 runs India TV News.
Phillips amassed 107 runs in just 49 deliveries from the middle order, propelling his side to a total India never looked like chasing India TV News. It was a very different New Zealand side from the injury-hit outfit previewed in our report on Ferguson and Henry being ruled out of the series — with the series already lost at 3-0, the hosts played with a freedom that had been missing all week.
A record-equalling award
Phillips won the player of the match award, and in doing so equalled Martin Guptill’s record in the list of players with the most POTM awards for New Zealand against India in T20I cricket — 10 each India TV News.
After the match, Phillips credited the surface and his partnership with Michael Bracewell:
“Yeah, it was fabulous. Obviously it was a really good pitch to bat on out there today, and I think we made the most of it, which was fantastic… [On the partnership with Bracewell] I think we really just talked about the fact that the wind from this end was probably the easier end to go from… to be able to take that momentum, especially when it was sort of like a knife-edge part of the game, for us to take it effectively away from India like that was fantastic.” — Glenn Phillips India TV News
What it changes — and what it doesn’t
India captain Shreyas Iyer reflected afterwards on what went wrong for his side, who had already sealed the series with a match to spare India TV News. The series score is 3-1, and the teams meet again at Seddon Park in Hamilton on 1 November for the fifth and final T20I India TV News.
For New Zealand, the win is pride and a template: attack India’s bowlers early and often. For India, a reminder that even a settled series can bite when the intensity drops.
