Phillips, Duffy inspire New Zealand to big win over India
An all-round performance from the hosts helped them register their first win in the ongoing T20I series against India.
Glenn Phillips (107) scored a magnificent third T20I century as New Zealand scripted a win by 87 runs over India in the fourth T20I.
Having already conceded an unassailable 3-0 lead to the visitors, the Black Caps arrived in Auckland with a point to prove.
But it was Shreyas Iyer's India, who won the toss and got the first advantage after electing to field first. The tourists had brought in Ishan Kishan and Mayank Yadav in place of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Losing both Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell in the powerplay, put the hosts on the back foot.
However, Phillips continued his rich vein of form, scoring the second century of the series- the first for the home team.
The swashbuckling batter produced six fours and a whopping 10 maximums during his stay of 49 deliveries.
He was accompanied in the middle by Michael Bracewell, who scored a quickfire half-century off merely 19 deliveries.
Bracewell went on to compile 65 runs from 25 deliveries, which included a total of 10 boundaries including six sixes.
The fireworks with the bat helped New Zealand reach their highest-ever total in the shortest format - 259/7 - eclipsing their previous best of 254/5 against Scotland from 2022.
In pursuit of a record chase, India were put under the pump from the get-go.
Both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, who marked a comeback from injury, were dismissed in the first over as Jacob Duffy struck a brace.
While Abhishek Sharma (27) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (22) collected crucial runs, they too perished before the end of the powerplay.
With the required run rate climbing too steeply, the Indian middle order was unable to play catch-up as wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
India eventually finished at 172/9 as Duffy finished 4/23 from his quota of four overs - the second-best bowling figures in the ongoing series.
The fifth and final T20I between the two sides will be played on November 1 in Hamilton.
Series schedule
First T20I: 22 October, Christchurch (India won by four wickets)
Second T20I: 24 October, Christchurch (India won by four wickets)
Third T20I: 27 October, Wellington (India won by six wickets)
Fourth T20I: 30 October, Auckland (New Zealand won by 87 runs)
Fifth T20I: 1 November, Hamilton