India Win T20I Series 3-2 in New Zealand as Phillips Sets Record With 341 Runs
India won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 3-2. They took an unbeatable lead by winning the first three games. New Zealand then won the last two, the fourth by 87 runs at Eden Park and the fifth by 7 wickets at Seddon Park on Sunday, November 1. Glenn Phillips was named Player of the Series after scoring a record 341 runs.
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | India won by 4 wickets |
| 2nd T20I | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | India won by 4 wickets |
| 3rd T20I | Sky Stadium, Wellington | India won by 6 wickets |
| 4th T20I | Eden Park, Auckland | New Zealand won by 87 runs |
| 5th T20I | Seddon Park, Hamilton | New Zealand won by 7 wickets |
India's best moments came in the first three matches. In the opener they chased 226, their highest successful chase in T20Is. Sanju Samson scored 67 off 33 balls and won the Player of the Match award. In the third T20I, Abhishek Sharma hit 113 off 38 balls, with a hundred off 35 balls. India scored 118 for no loss in the powerplay, the highest powerplay total in men's T20Is, and chased 199 in 13.2 overs.
The second match was closer. Tilak Varma scored an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy added 26 not out. They rescued India from 112 for 6 and won the game with one ball to spare. Arshdeep Singh also became the first Indian bowler to take 150 T20I wickets during the series.
Phillips was the player of the series for New Zealand. His scores were 82*, 70, 17, 107 and 65*. He passed England's Phil Salt, who scored 331 against the West Indies in 2023, to set the record for the most runs in a men's bilateral T20I series. He made four scores of 50 or more, including his 49-ball hundred in the fourth match.
New Zealand also set a record in the fourth T20I, when they made 259 for 7 at Eden Park. That is their highest total in T20Is. Tim Seifert scored 93 in the last match, and Adam Milne took 4 for 19 and won the Player of the Match award.
The tour now moves to the five-match ODI series. It starts on Wednesday, November 4, at Eden Park in Auckland. The two Tests follow, starting on November 19 in Wellington.