Glenn Phillips scripts history, breaks world record in stunning series vs India

NEW DELHI: Glenn Phillips signed off a remarkable five-match T20I series against India by rewriting the record books, becoming the highest run-scorer in a bilateral series in the format.

The New Zealand batter surpassed England's Phil Salt, whose previous record had stood since 2023, during the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

Phillips went past Salt's tally of 331 runs, scored against the West Indies in 2023, when he reached 332 during his unbeaten innings against India. He eventually finished with 341 runs in the series, establishing a new benchmark for the most runs scored in a bilateral T20I series.

The right-hander continued his extraordinary consistency with an unbeaten 65 off 38 balls in the final match, helping New Zealand chase down India's target of 192 with seven wickets and 12 balls to spare. Phillips finished the series with scores of 82 not out, 70, 17, 107 and 65 not out, registering three half-centuries and a century. He also became only the third batter to record four 50-plus scores in a bilateral T20I series, joining Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan and Japan's S Ravichandran.

Salt had held the previous record with 331 runs against the West Indies in 2023. Pakistan's Rizwan occupies the third position with 316 runs against England in 2022, while Estonia's Sahil Chouhan (297 against Cyprus in 2024) and New Zealand's Mark Chapman (290 against Pakistan in 2023) complete the top five.

Phillips' consistency was central to New Zealand's batting campaign, with his ability to accelerate against both pace and spin making him a major threat throughout the series. He was named Player of the Series for his outstanding contribution.

Speaking after the match, Phillips credited his composure and approach, saying he enjoyed going out to bat with the mindset of being the hunter rather than the prey. He also highlighted the importance of attacking India's spin bowling, particularly Varun Chakravarthy, whose overs presented a crucial phase during the chase.

While Phillips finished the series with another unbeaten half-century, opener Tim Seifert was the standout performer in the final match, producing a brilliant 93 to put New Zealand firmly in control of the chase.

India had posted 191/8 after being asked to bat first by New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner. Ishan Kishan led the recovery with 61 off 32 balls, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 50 off just 23 deliveries. The pair shared a century partnership after India lost early wickets, but Adam Milne's outstanding spell of 4/19 restricted the visitors from making a bigger total.

New Zealand lost Finn Allen early in the chase but Seifert steadied the innings and took the attack to the Indian bowlers. He shared a 73-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell before combining with Phillips for an 86-run stand for the third wicket.

Seifert eventually fell for 93, but Phillips remained unbeaten to guide New Zealand home in 18 overs. Despite losing the final two matches, India clinched the five-match series 3-2, having won the first three encounters. New Zealand, meanwhile, will take considerable confidence from their strong finish ahead of the upcoming ODI assignments.