Glenn Phillips blazed a stunning 107 off 49 balls and Jacob Duffy claimed 4 wickets as New Zealand crushed India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday, 30 October, cutting India's series lead to 3-1. The Kiwis posted a record 259/7 — the highest T20I total ever scored — before bowling India out for 172/9 in the chase.

New Zealand's Record-Breaking First Innings

Phillips and Michael Bracewell (65 off 25 balls) stitched together a breathtaking 115-run partnership off just 40 balls for the fifth wicket, turning an already competitive total into something near-unreachable. The 259/7 surpasses New Zealand's own previous best of 254/5 against Scotland four years ago, and betters the highest T20I score against India — the 257/3 England hit in Southampton earlier this year.

The Indian bowling attack was taken apart without mercy. Nitish Kumar Reddy was hit for a massive 32-run over, while Axar Patel, Mayank Yadav, and Prince Yadav were also punished heavily. The only Indian bowler to emerge with credit was Mayank Yadav, who returned figures of 3/48 in his four overs on comeback. Arshdeep Singh (1/38) marked the occasion with a landmark: he became the first Indian bowler to take 150 T20I wickets, completing the milestone during the game.

India's Chase Falls Apart Early

Chasing 260, India's innings derailed in the very first over. Duffy dismissed opener Sanju Samson (4) and No. 3 Ishan Kishan (0) to reduce the visitors to a precarious position almost immediately. Abhishek Sharma (27) and Shreyas Iyer (22) attempted to rebuild, but Sharma miscued to mid-off in the fifth over — Matthew Fisher taking his first — before Shreyas was cleaned up by Adam Milne in the sixth. India were 61/4 at the end of the powerplay with the required rate already climbing sharply.

Naman Dhir (28) and Tilak Varma (35) offered brief resistance in the middle overs. Duffy then had Naman caught brilliantly by Daryl Mitchell and Nathan Smith in a tag-team effort at deep mid-wicket in the 12th over, before also accounting for Arshdeep Singh for a golden duck. With Tilak left stranded alongside the tail, and the required rate touching near 25 ahead of the death overs, India were reduced to damage limitation.

Tilak was dismissed in the penultimate over by Fisher, who took his second wicket as wicketkeeper Tim Seifert completed a running, diving catch. Prince Yadav hit a boundary and a six late but remained unbeaten on 18 as India were bowled out for 172. Duffy finished with 4/23.

Arshdeep's Historic Milestone

Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian cricketer to claim 150 T20I wickets, reaching the landmark in a match where his team were otherwise thoroughly outplayed. The achievement offers a rare bright spot on what was otherwise a chastening evening for Indian cricket in Auckland. This is the format in which Arshdeep has consistently led India's pace attack, and the milestone underscores his centrality to the side's T20 setup.

Series Situation and What It Means

India had already clinched the five-match series, leading 3-0 heading into this fixture. The 3-1 scoreline now means the fifth and final T20I becomes a dead rubber, but New Zealand will take considerable confidence from a performance that flipped the series' one-sided script. Notably, India's bowlers had largely dominated the first three games — Friday's batting collapse and bowling mauling represents their most comprehensive off-day of the tour. The fifth T20I will determine whether New Zealand can level at 3-2.