New Zealand won the final India vs New Zealand T20I by seven wickets. They chased down 192 with two overs to spare. Glenn Phillips sealed it with back-to-back boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. India still won the series 3-2 because they took the first three games.
Phillips had a huge series. He scored 316 runs in five matches. That broke the record for most runs in a five-match bilateral T20I series. He also became only the third batter to score four fifty-plus scores in a five-match T20I series. The others were Mohammad Rizwan for Pakistan against England in 2022 and S Ravichandran for Japan against Mongolia in 2024.
Tim Seifert also batted well for New Zealand. He made 93 before he was out. He tried to go over covers off Nitish Kumar Reddy but only got a thick edge that hit the stumps. New Zealand were 168 for 3 at that point. Daryl Mitchell also contributed. He hit back-to-back sixes off Prince Yadav early on. Varun Chakravarthy got Mitchell out, caught by Abhishek Sharma. India used up both their reviews inside the first seven overs. One review failed when Daryl Mitchell was hit on the pads but the ball was shown to be pitching outside off.
India batted first after New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl. Shreyas Iyer lost the toss for the first time in the series. India made two changes. Varun Chakravarthy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in. Axar Patel and Mayank Yadav were left out.
Ravi Shastri said India were 15-20 runs short on a pitch that helped the bowlers more than the earlier games. New Zealand chased the target comfortably in the end. India’s bowlers could not stop the flow of runs. Bhuvneshwar went for 20 in one over. Chakravarthy also conceded 18 in an over. New Zealand got home with time to spare.
India vs New Zealand: Ishan Kishan Breaks Suryakumar Yadav’s Record With 1,220 T20I Runs in 2026
Ishan Kishan had a big day in Hamilton on Sunday. He scored 61 off 32 balls in the fifth India vs New Zealand T20I. That innings helped him break a record held by Suryakumar Yadav. Kishan now has the most runs by an Indian in a calendar year in T20Is. He has 1,220 runs in 2026. Suryakumar had 1,164 in 2022. Kishan also passed 2,000 T20I runs in the same match. He got there in his 69th innings.
Kishan has been in great form all year. His average is 35.88, and his strike rate is 171.58. He has one century and eight fifties in 2026. He also scored 317 runs in India’s T20 World Cup win. That form has carried into the bilateral series. He now has 2,016 T20I runs in 69 matches. He has hit 206 fours and 96 sixes. He is the seventh Indian to reach 2,000 T20I runs.
By balls faced, Kishan is the third-fastest Indian to 2,000 T20I runs. He needed 1,345 deliveries. Only Abhishek Sharma (1,024 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (1,164 balls) got there faster. By innings, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar lead with 56 each. KL Rahul needed 58. Abhishek needed 64. Kishan is fifth on that list with 69.
The match itself was a rescue job for India. New Zealand won the toss and asked India to bat. Adam Milne got Abhishek Sharma out in the second over. Kishan came in at number three and joined Shreyas Iyer. The two added 107 runs for the third wicket in just over seven overs. Kishan hit four sixes and three fours in his fifty, which came off 28 balls.
Iyer was aggressive from the start and reached his fifty in 22 balls. New Zealand fought back and removed both set batters quickly. Blair Tickner got Kishan caught at deep mid-wicket. Iyer fell to Milne. Naman Dhir made 33 off 23 and Nitish Kumar Reddy made 22 off 17. India finished on 191 for 8. India already had a 3-1 lead in the series before this match.
FAQs
Q. Who won the fifth India vs New Zealand T20I?
A. New Zealand won by seven wickets.
Q. Who was the top scorer for New Zealand?
A. Tim Seifert scored 93 runs.
Q. How many runs did Glenn Phillips score in the series?
A. Phillips scored 316 runs in five matches.
Q. Who was India’s highest scorer in the fifth T20I?
A. Ishan Kishan scored 61 runs off 32 balls.
Q. Who was India’s best bowler in the match?
A. Adam Milne took four wickets for 19 runs.
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