New Zealand v India, 4th T20I, India tour of New Zealand 2026-27
New Zealand Beat India by 87 Runs in 4th T20I as Glenn Phillips Smashes 107
New Zealand beat India by 87 runs at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday, posting 259 for 7 and then bowling India out for 172 for 9. Glenn Phillips made 107 from 49 balls and was named Player of the Match. India still lead the five-match series 3-1.
It was the first time on this tour New Zealand have looked the better side, and it arrived all at once. A team that had conceded 199 in 13.2 overs in Wellington three days earlier hit 20 sixes and broke the back of India’s chase inside the first over.
NZ vs IND 4th T20I Match Summary
India won the toss and chose to field, which on the smallest international ground in world cricket is a decision that needs early wickets to justify it. They got one — Tim Seifert fell to Mayank Yadav in the opening over — and then spent the next nineteen watching the ball travel.
| Match | New Zealand vs India, 4th T20I |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 October 2026 |
| Venue | Eden Park, Auckland |
| Toss | India won and chose to field |
| New Zealand score | 259/7 in 20 overs |
| India score | 172/9 in 20 overs |
| Result | New Zealand won by 87 runs |
| Player of the Match | Glenn Phillips |
| Series | India lead 3-1 |
Glenn Phillips Powers New Zealand to a Huge Total
Phillips walked in at number four with New Zealand already a wicket down and finished with 107 from 49 balls, six fours and ten sixes — a strike rate of 218. It was his third century in T20 cricket, and he was dismissed in the final over one run short of his highest score in the format.
What makes the innings worth looking at closely is when the scoring happened rather than how much of it there was. New Zealand were 112 for 4 after 10.4 overs, which at Eden Park is a par-ish platform rather than a commanding one. They were 174 for 4 at the end of the fifteenth. They then took 85 from the last five overs.
Phillips did not force that acceleration early. He took the pace off his own innings while wickets fell at the other end, and the back half of his hundred came once Michael Bracewell arrived and the two could attack from both ends. That is more disciplined T20 batting than the final strike rate suggests.
Eden Park helped, as it always does — its straight boundaries are the shortest in international cricket. But India bowled to it badly, and that is on them.
Michael Bracewell Adds Further Firepower
Bracewell came in at six and made 65 from 25 balls with four fours and six sixes — a strike rate of 260 that was, briefly, faster than the ground could contain.
The partnership is the number that decided the match. Phillips and Bracewell added 115 for the fifth wicket from 40 balls, taking New Zealand from 112 for 4 to 227 and turning a competitive total into an unreachable one. Forty balls is six and a bit overs. India had no answer in any of them.
Nitish Kumar Reddy conceded 64 from four overs and Axar Patel 43 from three. Those are not the figures of unlucky bowlers; they are an attack that could not find a length to two batters hitting straight on a ground where straight is the shortest option.
India Struggle During the Chase
Chasing 260, India needed 13 an over from the first ball. They were 4 for 2 by the end of the first.
Jacob Duffy removed Sanju Samson for 4 and Ishan Kishan for a duck in that opening over, and a chase that was already improbable became a formality before it had a shape. India were 61 for 4 at the end of the powerplay and 89 for 6 when Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy fell in the same over.
There were cameos rather than innings. Abhishek Sharma, who made 113 from 38 balls in the third T20I, hit 27 from 15. Shreyas Iyer made 22 from 11, and Naman Dhir’s 28 from 13 was the most fluent of them.
Tilak Varma top-scored with 35, but it took him 35 balls, and that pairing of numbers is the honest summary of India’s innings. A strike rate of 100 is a perfectly good score in a game India were chasing at 13 an over; it simply could not change anything. Prince Yadav’s unbeaten 18 from 17 at the end was the only other double-figure contribution of note.
Jacob Duffy Leads New Zealand’s Bowling Effort
Duffy finished with 4 for 23 from his four overs, an economy rate of 5.75 on a night when 259 had just been scored at the other end of the same pitch. Two of those wickets came in the first over of the innings, which is where the match was effectively settled for a second time.
He was well supported. Mitchell Santner took 2 for 24, striking with his first ball and taking two in his opening over, and passed 150 wickets in T20 cricket along the way. Matthew Fisher took two and Adam Milne one. Nathan Smith’s 0 for 47 was the only expensive spell on either side’s bowling card that belonged to New Zealand.
For India, Mayank Yadav’s 3 for 48 was the pick of a difficult night’s work. Arshdeep Singh took one wicket and in doing so reached 150 wickets in T20 internationals — reported as the first India bowler to get there.
Key Turning Points of the Match
- Duffy’s first over of the chase. Samson and Kishan both gone, India 4 for 2, and a target of 260 made mathematically irrelevant within six balls.
- The fifth-wicket stand. 115 from 40 balls between Phillips and Bracewell, from 112 for 4 to 227, which is the single passage of play that produced the margin.
- The last five overs of New Zealand’s innings. 85 runs from 174 for 4 to 259 for 7 — the difference between a total India might have chased and one they could not.
- India’s powerplay with the ball. Seifert fell in the first over and Daryl Mitchell inside the six, yet two early wickets bought India nothing.
- Tilak Varma’s 35 from 35. Not a turning point so much as confirmation that the game had already turned.
NZ vs IND 4th T20I Scorecard
New Zealand 259/7 (20 overs)
| Batter | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Phillips | 107 | 49 |
| Michael Bracewell | 65 | 25 |
| Finn Allen | 31 | — |
| Daryl Mitchell | 24 | — |
| Bevon Jacobs | 7 | — |
| Tim Seifert | 3 | — |
India bowling: Mayank Yadav 3/48 (4) · Nitish Kumar Reddy 1 wicket, 64 runs (4) · Axar Patel 1 wicket, 43 runs (3) · Arshdeep Singh 1 wicket · Prince Yadav 1 wicket.
India 172/9 (20 overs)
| Batter | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| Tilak Varma | 35 | 35 |
| Naman Dhir | 28 | 13 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 27 | 15 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 22 | 11 |
| Prince Yadav | 18* | 17 |
| Sanju Samson | 4 | 2 |
| Ishan Kishan | 0 | — |
New Zealand bowling: Jacob Duffy 4/23 (4) · Mitchell Santner 2/24 · Matthew Fisher 2 wickets · Adam Milne 1 wicket · Nathan Smith 0/47.
What the Result Means for the T20I Series
India still lead 3-1 with one match to play, and the series itself was already won before this game started — India took it 3-0 in Wellington on Tuesday. What changes is the question of a 5-0 sweep, which is now gone, and the shape of the conversation going into the one-day leg.
For New Zealand the win matters more than a consolation usually does. Mitchell Santner’s side had been outplayed in three straight matches, and they found something at Eden Park that was not just a flat pitch: a middle order that attacked in pairs, and a new-ball bowler who took the game away in one over.
Phillips finishes the series as its leading run-scorer with 276 runs in four innings at an average of 92, and his Player of the Match award was his tenth in T20 internationals — level with Martin Guptill’s New Zealand record.
The fifth and final T20I is on Sunday 1 November at Seddon Park, Hamilton, starting at 12:30 PM IST. Five one-day internationals and two Tests follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the New Zealand vs India 4th T20I in 2026?
New Zealand won by 87 runs at Eden Park, Auckland, on 30 October 2026.
What was New Zealand’s score against India?
New Zealand made 259 for 7 in their 20 overs, including 20 sixes and 14 fours.
How many runs did Glenn Phillips score?
Glenn Phillips scored 107 from 49 balls with six fours and ten sixes, a strike rate of 218.
How many runs did Michael Bracewell score?
Michael Bracewell made 65 from 25 balls with four fours and six sixes, a strike rate of 260.
How many wickets did Jacob Duffy take?
Jacob Duffy took 4 for 23 from four overs, including two wickets in the first over of India’s chase.
What was India’s final score?
India were restricted to 172 for 9 in 20 overs, chasing a target of 260.
Who was named Player of the Match?
Glenn Phillips, for his 107 off 49 balls. It was his tenth Player of the Match award in T20 internationals.
What was India’s series lead after the fourth T20I?
India led the five-match series 3-1, having won the first three matches. The final T20I is on 1 November at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
Conclusion
New Zealand’s 259 for 7 was built on a hundred that was paced rather than simply hit — Phillips held the innings together while wickets fell, then accelerated once he had a partner who could match him. Bracewell’s 65 from 25 was that partner’s half of a 115-run stand that took six overs and decided the match. The bowling then finished it: Duffy’s two wickets in the opening over removed any realistic path to 260.
India will take the series regardless, and nothing that happened at Eden Park changes a 3-1 scoreline with one match left. But they were beaten thoroughly, in both halves of the game, by a side that had not managed it once before this week.
