Nitish Kumar Reddy had trouble with the ball during the fourth Twenty20 International against New Zealand on October 30, 2026, at Eden Park in Auckland. He gave up 64 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 16.00. His only wicket was Glenn Phillips, but by then the damage was already done.
Reddy’s numbers put him among the most costly Indian bowlers in T20I history, along with Yuzvendra Chahal and Varun Chakravarthy. Phillips scored 32 runs off the 16th over, including four straight sixes, making it the second-highest number of runs given up by an Indian bowler in a single Twenty20 International over. That amount was the same as what Stuart Binny had given up in a single over against the West Indies at Lauderhill in 2016.
New Zealand achieved their highest T20I total of 259/7 against India. Phillips anchored the innings with a superb 107 off 49 balls, including ten sixes and six fours for his third T20I century. Michael Bracewell complemented him with a swift 65 off 25 balls.
Together, they scored 115 runs for the fifth wicket. The other Indian bowlers also struggled: Axar Patel conceded 43 runs in three overs, and Naman Dhir was bowled for 16 in his single over. Jacob Duffy’s two strikes in the first over removed Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, and India was never able to recover, finishing at 172/9 to lose by 87 runs.
This innings is among the most devastating second-half batting efforts India has encountered in T20I cricket due to the devastation in the final 10 overs at Auckland. In Guwahati in 2022, India gave up 151 runs in overs 11–20 against South Africa, the second-highest total during that phase.
In a 2026 game at Southampton, England’s hitters scored 146 runs in the same overs, ranking third on the leaderboard. Both of those standards were exceeded by New Zealand’s attack at Eden Park, demonstrating how thoroughly Phillips and Bracewell destroyed India’s bowling in the second half of the innings.
