Glenn Phillips Breaks World Record as New Zealand Beat India by 7 Wickets in 5th T20I

New Zealand defeated India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, with Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips starring in a successful chase of 192 runs.

Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 33 balls, setting a new record for the most runs scored by a batter in a bilateral T20I series. He finished the five-match series with 341 runs, surpassing England's Phil Salt, who scored 331 runs against the West Indies in 2023.

Seifert also delivered a match-winning performance, scoring 93 runs to help New Zealand chase down the target in 18 overs, with 12 balls to spare. The victory gave the hosts their highest successful T20I chase against India.

Glenn Phillips Sets New Bilateral Series Record

Phillips continued his impressive form with his fourth half-century of the series. His unbeaten 65 took him past Salt's previous record of 331 runs in a bilateral T20I series.

Seifert, meanwhile, produced his first significant innings of the series. The opener played a 93-run knock before Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed him in the 17th over.

The pair added 86 runs off just 42 balls for the third wicket, putting New Zealand firmly in control of the chase.

India's bowling attack struggled to contain the New Zealand batters. Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up one wicket each, but the hosts maintained their scoring momentum.

India Struggle to Defend 191-Run Target

Chasing 192, New Zealand suffered an early setback when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Finn Allen in the second over.

However, Seifert and Daryl Mitchell steadied the innings. The hosts reached 59/1 at the end of the powerplay, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceding 20 runs in the sixth over.

Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Mitchell in the ninth over, but Phillips joined Seifert and accelerated the scoring. New Zealand reached 96/2 at the halfway stage before Phillips and Seifert strengthened their position.

India tried Abhishek Sharma with the ball, but he could not break the partnership. Varun also conceded 18 runs in the 13th over as New Zealand moved to 138/2.

Nitish Kumar Reddy eventually dismissed Seifert for 93, but Phillips continued his assault and completed his fourth fifty of the series before guiding New Zealand to victory in the 18th over.

Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer Help India Reach 191

Earlier, India posted 191/8 in 20 overs after half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.

India suffered an early collapse as Abhishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4) departed cheaply. Kishan and Shreyas then rebuilt the innings with a 93-run partnership for the third wicket.

Kishan scored 61, while Shreyas contributed 50. Naman Dhir added 33 runs and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 22 to take India close to the 200-run mark.

However, New Zealand's bowlers kept picking up wickets to restrict the visitors. Adam Milne led the attack with four wickets for 19 runs in his four overs. Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner claimed two wickets each.

India Win the Series 3-2 Despite Final Defeat

Despite losing the final two matches, India secured the five-match T20I series 3-2. The visitors had won the first three matches before New Zealand bounced back with victories in the fourth and fifth games.

• India: 191/8 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 61, Shreyas Iyer 50; Adam Milne 4/19, Nathan Smith 2/28).
• New Zealand: Chased 192 in 18 overs (Tim Seifert 93, Glenn Phillips 65 runs (Not Out); Nitish Kumar Reddy 1/19, Arshdeep Singh 1/40).

New Zealand won by seven wickets. India won the series 3-2.