India suffered a heavy 87-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday, October 30. Despite taking an unassailable 3-0 lead by winning the first three matches, the Men in Blue failed to maintain their winning momentum as the hosts registered their first victory of the series. The defeat was India’s second-biggest loss by runs in men’s T20I cricket. Following the disappointing result, India captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that his team’s bowling performance fell short of expectations. He also praised Glenn Phillips for his outstanding century, which played a major role in New Zealand’s commanding total.
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first, making two changes to India’s playing XI. Ishan Kishan and Mayank Yadav replaced Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, respectively. New Zealand also made a change, bringing in Nathan Smith in place of Kyle Jamieson. India initially appeared to be in control as Mayank dismissed Tim Seifert early before sending Daryl Mitchell back to the pavilion. The hosts were reduced to 34/2, but Phillips turned the game around with an aggressive batting display.
Finn Allen provided support with 31 off 17 deliveries before Phillips joined forces with Michael Bracewell. The pair completely changed the momentum, putting together a remarkable 115-run partnership in just 40 deliveries. Bracewell smashed 65 off 25 balls, while Phillips produced a magnificent 107 from 49 deliveries. His innings featured 10 sixes and six boundaries, helping New Zealand reach a massive 259/7 in 20 overs. Mayank Yadav was India’s leading wicket-taker, finishing with figures of 3/48 from his four overs.
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Chasing 260 for victory, India endured a disastrous start and struggled to build meaningful partnerships. Sanju Samson departed early, while Ishan Kishan followed without opening his account. Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer attempted to steady the innings, but New Zealand continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Tilak Varma top-scored for India with 35 runs, but none of the batters managed to reach a half-century. The visitors eventually finished at 172/9 in their allotted 20 overs, falling 87 runs short of the target.
Speaking after the match, Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that India failed to execute their bowling plans, particularly during the powerplay. He also credited Phillips for his consistency and exceptional shot-making throughout the series.
“[Thoughts on the performance tonight] Yeah, absolutely. I think we fell a bit short in our bowling to start with. Powerplay, especially in the third over, they got that momentum from there on, and yeah, couple of bowlers, they tried to squeeze in, but I think exceptional knock by Glenn. Some phenomenal shots, which were like pure bliss. So kudos to him. He’s been consistent throughout the series, so lot to learn from him.”
The Indian captain further stressed the importance of reviewing the team’s mistakes before the next encounter in Hamilton.
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He added: “[Assessment of the bowling performance and plans for the next match] Yes, absolutely. I feel that it’s important to retrospect, see where we can actually bounce back, coming into Hamilton and just a day off. So I personally feel that we can probably go back to the drawing board and see to it we analyse and try to execute to the best of our abilities in the next game.”
India will now look to regroup and address their bowling concerns before the fifth and final T20I.
