Phillips Hundred Powers New Zealand to Consolation Win Over India in Auckland

New Zealand finally broke through against India in their T20I series, winning the fourth match at Eden Park in Auckland by 87 runs on Friday. Sent in to bat first, the hosts piled up 259 for 7 — a total India never looked like chasing, finishing on 172 for 9.

The damage was done by Glenn Phillips, who smashed 107 from just 49 balls, clearing the ropes ten times. He found a willing partner in Michael Bracewell, who struck 65, and together the pair added 115 runs from only 41 deliveries to drag New Zealand past 200 midway through the 16th over.

India, who had already sealed the series by winning the first three games, made a ragged start to their reply and never recovered. Mayank Yadav, back in the side, was a rare bright spot with 3 for 48, removing Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs.

The series now moves to Hamilton for the final T20I, before the two sides meet again in a five-match one-day series.

A partnership that changed the game

When Phillips and Bracewell came together, New Zealand were 112 for 4 after 10.4 overs. By the time they were separated, the score had rocketed to 227 — a burst of 115 runs in seven overs that took the game away from India completely.

Selection questions for India

India made two changes for this match, bringing in Mayank Yadav for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishan Kishan for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Former opener Aakash Chopra questioned the veteran seamer's omission, noting his comeback has yielded just one wicket in three games at an economy rate above 11 — a talking point India will want settled before the final match.

Source: Reuters