Auckland finally found a way to stop India. After three straight wins had already sealed the five-match T20I series, the hosts hit back in style on Friday, October 30, beating India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I at Eden Park. New Zealand piled up 259 for 7, the highest T20I total ever scored against India, and then restricted India to 172 for 9. The series now stands at 3-1, with one match left to play.
For three games, India had looked almost untouchable. One brutal partnership and one disastrous first over ended a chase of 260 before it had properly begun.
Phillips turns the game on its head
At 112 for 4 after 10.4 overs, New Zealand were in a decent position but nothing more. Then Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell changed the match completely. The pair added 115 runs in just 42 balls, a burst of hitting that took the total from competitive to mountainous.
Phillips was the star of the show. He smashed 107 off only 49 balls, with six fours and 10 sixes, his third T20I hundred. It was clean, fearless hitting, the kind that makes even a big ground like Eden Park look small. Bracewell played the perfect supporting role with 65, keeping the pressure on India’s bowlers right through the death overs.
Mayank Yadav finished as India’s most successful bowler with 3 for 48, while Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up a wicket each. But on a day when the ball kept disappearing into the stands, those figures told only part of the story. India’s bowlers, so disciplined in the first three games, struggled to find the right lengths when Phillips got going.
A chase that never got started
Chasing 260 was always going to need something special. Instead, India lost two wickets in the very first over. Jacob Duffy struck twice, removing Sanju Samson for 4 and Ishan Kishan for a duck, and the chase never recovered from that double blow.
By the end of the powerplay, India had slipped to 56 for 4. Skipper Shreyas Iyer made 22, but there was no partnership of substance to build around. Tilak Varma top-scored with 35 and Naman Dhir made 28, while Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 21, but the asking rate kept climbing and wickets kept falling.
Duffy returned to finish the job in the middle overs, dismissing Dhir and Arshdeep Singh off successive balls to end any faint hopes of a late comeback. He finished with 4 for 23, a fine reward for a bowler who had set the tone in the first over itself.
What the team management said
After the match, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule pointed to the powerplay as the turning point. He said losing early wickets left India playing catch-up for the rest of the innings, and that one partnership after the powerplay could have brought India much closer to the target.
Bahutule also admitted that shot selection could have been better and that Eden Park’s unusual dimensions made life harder for batters playing there for the first time. He was keen, though, to keep the defeat in perspective, noting that India had played very good cricket in the first three games and had adapted well to different pitches and conditions through the series.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan felt India’s bowlers were punished for bowling too full at Eden Park.
Series context: a wake-up call, not a crisis
The lessons are fairly clear. First, even a settled, confident side can be hurt by one big partnership in T20 cricket. Second, a chase of this size leaves no room for a poor powerplay. And third, Eden Park remains one of the trickiest grounds in world cricket, where short boundaries punish even small bowling errors.
What happens next
The fifth and final T20I will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1. India will look to finish the series 4-1, while New Zealand will aim to sign off with back-to-back wins and some momentum of their own.
After that, attention turns to the five-match ODI series, which begins on November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland, followed by the Test series starting November 19. How India respond in Hamilton will say a lot about the mood they carry into that longer white-ball contest.
FAQs
What was the result of the India vs New Zealand 4th T20I?
New Zealand beat India by 87 runs at Eden Park, Auckland, on October 30, 2026. New Zealand scored 259 for 7 and India replied with 172 for 9.
Who scored a century for New Zealand?
Glenn Phillips smashed 107 off 49 balls, with six fours and 10 sixes. Michael Bracewell supported him with 65 in a 115-run partnership off 42 balls.
Who was India’s top scorer?
Tilak Varma top-scored for India with 35, followed by Naman Dhir with 28. Jacob Duffy took 4 for 23 for New Zealand.
What is the series score now?
India still lead the five-match series 3-1, having won the first three games. The final T20I is in Hamilton on November 1.
Brief scores: New Zealand 259 for 7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 107, Michael Bracewell 65; Mayank Yadav 3 for 48) beat India 172 for 9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 35, Naman Dhir 28; Jacob Duffy 4 for 23) by 87 runs.
