Agencies
Auckland
India suffered an 87-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I after a disastrous batting collapse saw them restricted to 172 for nine while chasing 260 here on Friday.
Having already clinched the five-match series with three successive victories, India failed to match the hosts’ batting firepower and slumped to their first defeat of the series, reducing their lead to 3-1.
Glenn Phillips smashed 107 off 49 balls, while Michael Bracewell hammered 65 off just 25 deliveries as New Zealand piled up 259 for seven, the highest T20I total against India.
India’s chase got off to a disastrous start with Jacob Duffy (4/23) removing Sanju Samson (4) and Ishan Kishan (0) in the opening over.
Abhishek Sharma (27 off 15 balls) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (22 off 11) added 46 runs for the third wicket, but their dismissals left India struggling at 61 for four after the powerplay.
Mitchell Santner (2/23) further restricted the scoring as India failed to recover from the early setbacks.
Earlier, Phillips and Bracewell shared a 115-run stand off just 41 balls for the fifth wicket. New Zealand collected 85 runs in the final five overs.
Mayank Yadav was India’s most impressive bowler, while Arshdeep Singh claimed his 150th T20I wicket to become the first Indian to achieve the milestone.
