The India vs New Zealand series in New Zealand produced some of the most explosive batting seen in this fixture. India won 3-2, but the numbers belonged to the hitters: Glenn Phillips scored 341 runs and won Player of the Series, and Abhishek Sharma struck at 223.86 across the five matches, and New Zealand set a new record total against India. These are the five best innings, ranked by quality and impact.
Top 5 Batting Performances in India vs New Zealand T20I
1. Abhishek Sharma, 113 off 38 balls (Wellington, 3rd T20I)
This was the best innings of the series. New Zealand had scored 198 for 3, and India chased it in 13.2 overs, winning by six wickets with 40 balls to spare. Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes and reached his century in 35 balls, the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand in T20Is.
He and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on 133 for the first wicket in just 43 balls, with Sooryavanshi making 45 off 19, and India reached 118 without loss in the powerplay. The win sealed the series with two matches to play. It was Abhishek’s fourth T20I hundred and his first against New Zealand, and the 113 is now the second-highest score by an Indian in this fixture, behind only Shubman Gill’s 126*.
His other scores in the series were modest (29, 27, 27 and 1), which makes the Wellington innings even more striking. It came on exactly the night India needed it.
2. Glenn Phillips, 107 off 49 balls (Auckland, 4th T20I)
Phillips played the most destructive innings by a New Zealander against India. He hit six fours and ten sixes and reached his hundred in 46 balls, matching the fastest T20I century by a New Zealander. With Michael Bracewell adding 65 off 25, he took New Zealand to 259 for 7, the highest total ever scored against India and the highest in the country’s T20I history.
New Zealand won by 90 runs. The innings also made Phillips the leading run-scorer in India-New Zealand T20Is, overtaking Suryakumar Yadav, and it was the highlight of a series in which he scored 341 runs at an average of 113.67.
3. Tim Seifert, 93 off 50 balls (Hamilton, 5th T20I)
Seifert’s innings was the best of the final match and the best chase of the series. India had posted 191 for 8, with Shreyas Iyer making 50 off 23, and New Zealand needed 192. Seifert anchored the innings with 93 off 50 and was just short of a century when he fell. Phillips added 65 not out off 38, and New Zealand finished on 195 for 3 in 18 overs, winning by seven wickets with 12 balls to spare.
The knock was a strong recovery for Seifert, who had gone cheaply early in the tour, including a dismissal in the first over of the fourth match. It also helped New Zealand finish the series with a win, even though India had already taken the trophy.
4. Daryl Mitchell, 89 off 52 balls (Wellington, 3rd T20I)
Mitchell’s innings was the best individual performance in a losing cause. He scored 89 off 52 balls on the same night as Abhishek’s century, and his innings built the platform for New Zealand’s 198 for 3. Batting through the middle overs after Seifert fell early, he rebuilt with Finn Allen and Phillips, and later added a rapid stand with Bruce Jacobs, who made 39 off 23.
On most nights, 198 would have been enough. Mitchell’s knock showed that New Zealand had the firepower to compete and that India needed something extraordinary to chase it down, which Abhishek provided.
5. Glenn Phillips, 82 off 40 balls (Christchurch, 1st T20I)
The opening match of the series set the tone. Phillips smashed 82 off 40 balls, and it was the first of his five scores of 65 or more. Despite his innings, India won the match, with Sanju Samson making 67 off 33 in the chase, but Phillips showed from the first night that he would be the batter to watch.
His series, taken as a whole, was the most consistent of either side: 82, 70, 107 and 65 not out, in addition to the knocks listed above.
FAQs
Q. Who scored the highest score in the India vs New Zealand T20I?
A. Abhishek Sharma scored 113 off 38 balls in Wellington.
Q. How many balls did Glenn Phillips take to score his century?
A. Phillips reached his century in 46 balls.
Q. Who scored a maiden T20I century in the fifth match?
A. Ishan Kishan scored 103 off 43 balls.
Q. How many runs did Tim Seifert score in the fifth T20I?
A. Seifert scored 93 runs off 50 balls.
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