Christchurch: Glenn Phillips smashed an unbeaten 82 off just 40 deliveries as New Zealand posted a formidable 225/4 against India in the first T20I of the five-match series here on Thursday, recording their highest total in home T20 internationals.
Phillips anchored the innings with an explosive finish, striking eight fours and three sixes, while Finn Allen provided an aggressive start with 45 off 24 balls. Bevon Jacobs added further momentum with a quickfire 31 off 16 deliveries as the hosts dominated the Indian bowling attack.
New Zealand raced to 65/1 during the powerplay, with Allen and Tim Seifert attacking from the outset. Seifert scored 24 off 17 balls before Mayank Yadav ended his stay, having him caught behind by Sanju Samson.
Allen continued to put pressure on the visitors before Axar Patel dismissed him at 80/2 in the eighth over. Daryl Mitchell then joined Phillips to rebuild the innings, contributing 28 off 19 balls before Arshdeep Singh removed him in the 13th over.
Phillips took charge in the latter half of the innings, reaching his 13th T20I half-century in 27 balls. He found an effective partner in Jacobs, with the pair adding 73 runs before Jacobs was run out for 31 in the 18th over.
New Zealand crossed the 200-run mark in the 19th over and accelerated further in the closing stages to finish at 225/4. Michael Bracewell remained unbeaten on seven alongside Phillips.
India’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceding 49 runs in four overs on his return to T20I cricket after four years. Mayank Yadav took 1/40, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel also claimed a wicket each, but the attack conceded runs at a rate exceeding 10 an over.
The Indian side now faces the task of chasing down a challenging target to take an early lead in the series.
