Phillips’ 78 in Vain as New Zealand Fall Short in Nagpur Chase

New Zealand began its chase of 239 under immediate pressure. New Zealand lost Devon Conway for a duck in the first over, caught by Sanju Samson off Arshdeep Singh.India made 238, a huge target in 20 overs, which made them win this match by 48 runs. 

Tim Robinson attempted to steady the innings and made a lively 21 off 15 balls. Rachin Ravindra, however, struggled and was dismissed cheaply. At the conclusion of the power play, New Zealand was trailing the necessary run as they lost two key wickets reaching 50.

Glenn Phillips was the stand-out performer. In retaliation, he attacked and made 78 out of 40 balls, four fours and six sixes, and got to a half-century in 29 balls. During the middle overs, his clear hitting and his fearless approach raised the expectations of New Zealand to make a comeback.

Mark Chapman contributed a fluid 39 out of 24 balls, which provided the duo with impetus in the middle phase of the innings. But wickets were lost at the right time. Chapman was dismissed in the 15th over, and soon after, Phillips left, ending New Zealand’s realistic hopes.

Daryl Mitchell scored a rapid 28 off 18 hits, with Mitchell Santner remaining unbeaten with 20. But the required run rate climbed out of reach. The late dismissals of Kristian Clarke and Mitchell made no difference, as New Zealand ended on 190 for 7.

Varun Chakravarthy had two wickets, and so did Shivam Dube. Arshdeep Singh provided early breakouts, and Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel put pressure on key stages of the innings.

With 190 at 7, New Zealand has demonstrated a lot of brilliance from Phillips, but the difficulty of chasing such a steep target. The early strikes and middle overs controlled by India kept the game under control and finished off the all-rounder performance.