New Zealand beat India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I of the five-match series, denying the visitors a clean sweep and cutting India's lead to 3-1.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first, but the decision backfired as New Zealand's batters took the attack to the Indian bowlers from the start.

New Zealand posted a massive 259 for 7 in their 20 overs, and India, chasing 260, were bowled out for 172.

Phillips century powers New Zealand to 259

Glenn Phillips was the star of the New Zealand innings, smashing 107 runs off just 49 balls in a brutal display of hitting.

Michael Bracewell gave him strong support with a rapid 65 off only 25 balls, and together their aggressive batting pushed New Zealand to a mountain-like total.

India's bowlers had no answer for long stretches, and the runs flowed freely as New Zealand kept the pressure on through the innings.

The size of the target meant India needed a near-perfect chase, and the early loss of wickets made that task almost impossible.

India collapse early in the chase

India's chase fell apart in the very first over, when the team lost two big wickets with almost nothing on the board.

Opener Sanju Samson managed only 4 runs, while Ishan Kishan, returning to the side, was dismissed without scoring.

There was hope that Abhishek Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer would steady the innings, but both fell cheaply, Abhishek for 27 off 15 balls and Iyer for 22 off 11 balls.

By the time India had reached 56 runs, four important wickets had already fallen, and the match was slipping away fast.

Tilak fights late but the game is gone

Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 21 off 10 balls and Naman Dhir made 28 off 13 balls, but neither could change the direction of the match.

Tilak Varma fought hard at the end with a strong innings, yet by then the result was already decided and India were far behind the required rate.

After the match, captain Shreyas Iyer spoke about the bowling, saying it has been going badly and the team has been conceding 200 runs in almost every match.

This defeat is India's third-biggest against New Zealand in T20 internationals. The biggest remains the 168-run loss in Ahmedabad in 2023, followed by a 96-run defeat, also in Ahmedabad, earlier in 2026.

Series still in India's hands

Despite this heavy loss, India had already won the first three matches of the series and sealed it before this game.

India now lead the series 3-1, and the team will want to finish strongly in the fifth and final match and close the tour with a 4-1 win.

The clean sweep dream is over, but a series win by a big margin is still on the table if India learn quickly from this defeat.