Live Score
Teams
PlayersGlenn Phillips breaks Phil Salt's T20I series record as India fail to find answers to New Zealand batter
Glenn Phillips scored a record 341 runs in the five-match T20I series against India, including a century and three other major contributions.
Prefer HTon Google
The T20I series between India and New Zealand has come to a close, with the visitors winning 3-2. However, India would not be entirely happy with how things unfolded after they sealed the series in the first three games. Moreover, it was Glenn Phillips who troubled them the most.
The right-handed middle-order batter looked in great touch throughout the five matches and played a significant role in four of them. Phillips finished the series with 341 runs, breaking Phil Salt’s record for the most runs in a bilateral T20I series. One hundred and three fifties show how Phillips dominated with the bat.
| Batter | Team | Runs | Matches | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn Phillips | New Zealand | 341 | 5 | India | 2026 |
| Phil Salt | England | 331 | 5 | West Indies | 2023 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 316 | 6 | England | 2022 |
| Mark Chapman | New Zealand | 297 | 5 | Pakistan | 2024 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 285 | 7 | England | 2022 |
Phillips scored those runs at a strike rate of 185.33 while maintaining an average of 113.67. The numbers themselves show how prolific he was. The situations in which he scored those runs also speak to his quality. In the first match, New Zealand were 80/2 when Phillips came out and scored an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls, carrying the team to a formidable total of 225.
Glenn Phillips delivers despite NZ's early setbacks
In the second match, the home team were in trouble at 18/2 in the third over when Phillips walked out. He scored 70 off 43 deliveries and combined with Jacobs for a 116-run partnership to take New Zealand’s total to 180/5.
Even with Phillips delivering the goods, New Zealand lost the first two matches. The third T20I was the only one in which he failed to cross 50, and India won that game to seal the series. However, he came up with his most imposing knock of the series in the next game. Phillips scored 107 off 49 in the fourth T20I, helping New Zealand post 259/7 in their 20 overs. It was the first game that New Zealand won in the series.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir insists on dressing-room security amid questions over India's selection policy
In the final match at Hamilton on Sunday, the visitors bowled first and restricted India to 191/8. In the chase, they did not start brilliantly, but Tim Seifert dug in, and then Phillips walked in to change the momentum of the game. While Seifert laid the foundation, scoring 93 off 50 balls, Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 38, taking his team home by seven wickets with two overs to spare.
The second-highest run-scorer in the series was Abhishek Sharma, who aggregated 197 runs in five matches. So, the difference between Phillips and his closest competitor was a staggering 144 runs. That shows that he was in a league of his own during the series. Even though New Zealand lost the series, Phillips’ imperious display will be one of the biggest positives they take from it.
