India might have lost the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand, but before etching its name into the history books on Sunday at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Batting first, India rode on half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer to post a total of 191/8 in 20 overs. Tim Seifert’s 93 and Glenn Phillips’ 65 not out helped New Zealand romp home.
Despite the loss, India won the series 3-2 and also became the first team ever in T20I history to reach the landmark of 400 sixes in a calendar year. During the match, the back-to-back world champions hammered a total of 11 sixes, touching the 400-run mark.
Kishan smacked five sixes during his knock of 61 while captain Shreyas Iyer got four in his 23-ball 50. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir got one each to add up to the tally. In fact, Dhir’s maximum off Blair Tickner on the second ball of the 19th over was India’s 400th six in 2026.
This year across 40 T20Is, India has hit 400 sixes, with Austria (224 sixes in 24 matches) and West Indies (224 sixes in 21 matches) being their distant rivals. 142 of those have come against New Zealand – the most against an opposition in a calendar year.
Abhishek Sharma (86 sixes), Ishan Kishan (60 sixes) and Sanju Samson (50 sixes) have been six-hitting leaders for India. That’s not all. There were more milestones on offer during the game.
Glenn Phillips does a double vs India
Coming into this game on the back of a match-winning hundred in Auckland, Philips continued in the same vein on Sunday. His 65 not out off 38 deliveries, studded with eight fours and three sixes, took him to 341 runs in the series, which is the most runs in a bilateral T20I series. In the process, Phillips went past England’s Phil Salt, who held the previous record with 331 runs against West Indies in 2023.
In fact, Phillips’ 522 runs against India in 2026 is also the most by a player in a calendar year. India’s Abhishek Sharma (431 vs New Zealand in 2026) and Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (398 vs Sri Lanka in 2026) are placed second and third respectively in the list. Notably, Phillips was a part of the New Zealand side that played in India earlier in the year in a T20I series and the T20 World Cup 2026.
Arshdeep Singh reaches new heights
Earlier, Arshdeep Singh added a new feather in his cap after the Indian pacer dismissed Finn Allen to go level with former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee for most wickets in the first six overs in T20Is among full member teams (who holds full voting rights in ICC meetings and play Tests).
Allen was Arshdeep’s 65th victim in the first six overs in T20Is. Southee has the same tally too. The Zimbabwean pace duo of Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava are third and fourth in the list with 62 wickets each during the said period. Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi is fifth with 60 scalps.