"The pressure will be on Abhishek in the last match" - Shardul Thakur after Glenn Phillips' century in NZ vs IND 2026 4th T20I

Veteran all-rounder Shardul Thakur has opined that Abhishek Sharma might be under pressure after Glenn Phillips' century in the fourth T20I between India and New Zealand. He pointed out that the Indian opener will have to make a big score in the final T20I if he wants to bag the Player of the Series award.

Phillips smashed 107 runs off 49 balls as New Zealand set India a mammoth 260-run target in Auckland on Friday, October 30. The hosts then restricted the visitors to 172/9 to register an 87-run win.

Reviewing the game on Sony Sports, Shardul noted that Phillips might pip Abhishek to the Player of the Series award if the left-handed opener doesn't play a substantial knock in the fifth T20I.

"The pressure will be on Abhishek in the last match. He will have to score runs if he wants the Man of the Series, or else Glenn Phillips might take the Man of the Series despite New Zealand losing the series because he has reached close to 300 runs. He has scored 276 runs. Abhishek Sharma is on 196. So the pressure is on the others if they want to catch him," he said.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) player praised the Gujarat Titans (GT) batter for his consistent performances throughout the series.

"The consistency he has shown in this series is matchless. You rarely score runs in every match. One gets to see such consistency very few times. We might be fans of the Indian team, but if someone bats so well even in the opposition, it's enjoyable to watch," Shardul observed.

Glenn Phillips has amassed 276 runs at an average of 92.00 in four innings in the ongoing series. Abhishek Sharma has aggregated 196 runs at an average of 49.00 in his four knocks in the series.

"He made our bowlers bowl where he wanted" - Ajinkya Rahane on Glenn Phillips' century in NZ vs IND 2026 4th T20I

In the same discussion, former India batter Ajinkya Rahane praised Glenn Phillips for virtually toying with the visiting bowlers.

"He made our bowlers bowl where he wanted. He actually toyed with the bowlers. The boundaries straight and behind were very close. The square boundaries were very big. We saw later how he hit straight. He played the lap shots and over square leg and midwicket," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Phillips has enjoyed an upper hand against the Indian attack throughout the series.

"His batting was awesome. He has dominated in all four matches and batted with authority. He has maintained the pressure on the bowlers always. He didn't allow the bowlers to get settled. A batter's specialty is how he continues his good form. He scored a hundred and dominated totally," Rahane observed.

Glenn Phillips struck six fours and 10 sixes during his 107-run knock in the fourth T20I. He added 115 runs for the fifth wicket with Michael Bracewell (65 off 25) after New Zealand were in a slight spot of bother at 112/4.

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