New Zealand suffered a heartbreaking four-wicket loss to India in the first T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 22, 2026. India successfully chased down New Zealand's total of 225 for 4, reaching 230 for 6 with two balls remaining. Despite a dominant batting display from Glenn Phillips, who remained unbeaten on 82 off just 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes, New Zealand could not defend their joint-highest T20I total against India.
After the match, Phillips addressed questions about New Zealand's fielding performance and the number of dropped catches that had been attributed to his team. The New Zealand batter took issue with the count being reported by the media, questioning whether all four instances genuinely qualified as dropped catches. One of the reporters mentioned that the Kiwis had dropped four catches, but Phillips refuted this statement.
"Four catches? Which ones? Finn's? Locky's? You're counting two that no one even got their hands on? Oh, you're counting those as dropped catches? Yeah, there was one from Mitch and one from Finn, but not really the other two," Phillips said in the post-match press conference.
What did Phillips say about the dropped catches?
Phillips emphasised the importance of accurate fielding assessment during India's chase. He stressed that only catches where fielders actually made contact with the ball should be counted as dropped opportunities, rather than instances where the ball simply evaded reach.
"If we're going to talk about fielding, we've got to count the proper chances, okay? Catches happen and dropped catches happen, but we need to count them correctly. You've got to actually get your hands to the ball," he added.
Among the clear chances New Zealand had during India's chase, Mitchell Santner dropped Axar Patel at mid-off. Matt Henry also dropped Axar but that was a very difficult chance.
How did Phillips assess India's chase?
Despite the missed opportunities, Phillips acknowledged India's quality as a chasing side and the difficulty of defending such a large total on the day.
"You've also got to give credit to the chasing side for chasing 226. It's always a good chase and for them as well, on slightly bigger boundaries, it's something slightly different to what they're used to. You've got to give credit where credit's due sometimes," he added.
