New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips expressed frustration when questioned about his team’s fielding during the first T20I against India in Christchurch. Phillips challenged the claim that New Zealand had dropped four catches, arguing that some of the chances should not be classified as dropped catches because the fielders barely made contact with the ball.

The question, apparently asked by an Indian reporter, highlighted four incidents during India’s successful chase of 226 runs. Mitchell Santner failed to hold on to a difficult chance offered by Axar Patel, while Matt Henry could not complete a challenging return catch off the same batter.

Finn Allen subsequently dropped Shreyas Iyer, and Lockie Ferguson failed to stop an outside edge from Naman Dhir that raced away for a boundary. Phillips disagreed with including Ferguson’s attempted catch in the tally, insisting that a fielder must get his hands on the ball for the incident to qualify as a dropped catch.

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“I mean, drop catches happen,” Glenn Phillips initially responded before questioning the reported figure. “Four? Which ones? Lockie? You’re counting two that no one got their hands on? Oh, yeah, so you guys are counting those? One from Mitch and one from Finn, so not really the other two; you’ve got to get your hands on the ball to catch it,” he said.

Glenn Phillips wasn’t quite buying the question 😅 https://t.co/pFOERl34kW

— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) October 22, 2026

Another incident involving Nathan Smith also came up in the discussion. At 16.2 overs, Smith attempted a spectacular boundary-line catch off Dhir but could not complete it as his momentum carried him and the ball over the rope. Phillips reacted sharply when the incident was raised, questioning whether it should also count as a dropped catch. “Nathan at the boundary line? One that went for six? Wow,” he responded.

The New Zealand all-rounder then urged the reporter to assess the fielding incidents more accurately rather than simply counting every missed opportunity as a dropped catch. Glenn Phillips acknowledged that dropped catches are part of cricket but maintained that such incidents must be classified correctly.

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“Catches happen, and dropped catches happen, but we need to be counting them properly, okay? You’ve got to get your hands on some of them,” he added.

Regardless of the debate over the number of missed chances, New Zealand’s fielding proved costly during the series opener. India chased down the target of 226 with four wickets remaining and two balls to spare, securing a four-wicket victory and taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.