It was utter brutality from the Black Caps.

 

Down 3-0 in the T20 series, New Zealand responded with a record total at Eden Park to crush the Indians in emphatic fashion by 87 runs.

Led by a blazing Glenn Phillips century, Michael Bracewell inflicting further carnage with 65, New Zealand smashed their way to 259 for 7, their highest total in the format.

They were just as ruthless with the ball, never allowing India to get going after being bullied by their batsmen in the first three matches.

Jacob Duffy set the tone with two wickets in his first over, and the Indians quickly crumbled in their futile pursuit.

The win won't be enough to keep the Kiwis alive in the series, but will give them plenty of belief ahead of the one dayers starting Wednesday.

After a stuttering start, Phillips and Bracewell combined and sent the Indian bowlers flying to all corners of Eden Park, the pair plundering 16 sixes between them.

There were some early nerves as opener Finn Allen sliced one down to third man with Prince Yadav taking the catch but stepping over the boundary, however it proved mute as Mayank Yadav had also overstepped during his delivery.

The Prince made no such mistake two balls later though, when Tim Seifert slashed at one and got a thick outside edge, swallowed up by Yadav to put the Kiwis in some early strife.

Intermittent rain throughout the day resulted in a noticeably slow outfield, the Black Caps struggling to find the rope in the first powerplay.

The shackles were finally broken in the third as Daryl Mitchell sent Yadav into the stands with back to back sixes followed by consecutive bondaries.

However, Yadav got his man in the same over, trapping Mitchell in front for 24 off just nine.

Enter Phillips.

He and Allen continued to press in the powerplay, bringing up fifty in the fifth over with a Phillips six over backward square.

Having been kept somewhat quiet for most of the powerplay, Allen got in on the action with two massive sixes to bring up the fifty partnership.

But just as he looked to really explode, Allen holed out to deep cover off the bowling of Axar Patel.

Phillips continued his charge, bringing up the three figures for the hosts, but Bevon Jacobs was unable to hang around, sent back to the sheds for just seven.

Joined by Bracewell in the middle, Phillips notched his third fifty of the series, the pair racing to a 50 partnership from just 18 balls.

Blazing his way to 40 from 13, Bracewell was given a life in the fourteenth, sending one into the night sky only to be spilled by Naman Dhir.

It would be a chance India would regret letting slip as Bracewell and Phillips put on a century stand in blistering style.

The pair pushed the run rate past 12 and the score past 200 with four overs still to play, their highest ever total in sight.

India finally broke the stand with Bracewell having blasted 65 off only 25 balls, but it didn't stem the flow of runs.

Bringing up his ton in style with another mammoth six over long off, Phillips steered the Black Caps closer to the record as Mitch Santner departed at the other end for five.

Phillips was eventually dismissed in the final over, leaving the ground to a rapturous ovation.

With a daunting total in front of them, India made a horror start to the chase, Duffy claiming the scalps of both Ishan Kishan and Sanju Sampson in his first over.

Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer kept the chase in check, bringing up the fifty but just as they were starting to build momentum, Matt Fisher took just his second international wicket after Sharma sent one straight to Santner.

The asking rate quickly ballooned to over 14, and India's woes were compounded when Adam Milne castled Sharma to have them reeling at 56/4.

Bringing himself on in the eighth, Santner struck with his very first ball, Nitish Kumar Reddy hitting one straight to Bracewell at cover.

The New Zealand skipper then took a sixth scalp for his side, his second in the same over with a brilliant caught and bowled to send Axar Patel packing.

With the result well and truly assured, India were meandering their way to the twentieth over, but there was more magic to come.

Needing a miracle, Nahman Dhir looked to go over the rope but found Mitchell at deep long on.

The momentum sent Mitchell towards the boundary, so he would fire it back in play, Nathan Smith taking a spectacular diving catch from his teammate.

Duffy went two in two after Arshdeep Singh hit one straight to Jacobs, but a frustrating period would follow.

Indian tailenders and Prince Yadav and Tilak Varma ensured there were no early showers with a stubborn stand of 37 from 42, prompting some "boring" chants from the crowd.

Varma was finally dismissed by Smith in the 19th, the partnership somewhat taking the gloss off the Black Caps dominance.

They would bat out the 20 overs, a subdued end after the earlier fireworks with most of the 39,000 fans having made their way home.

The result takes the series to 3-1 in India's favour, the final match coming on Sunday in Hamilton.