New Zealand cricket team is an ardent need of a win in the ongoing 2nd T20I of the 3-match series against India in Rajkot. The visitors are already trailing by 0-1 in the series as they lost the 1st T20I in Delhi by 53 runs.
Review: Ind vs NZ: 2nd T20I: Munro’s Century Stole The Game From India
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Indian team management decided to give a debut to Mohammad Siraj in this match, as the Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson decided to bat first after winning the toss. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah continued their good run with the ball, the pitch at Rajkot looked pretty flat for the other Indian bowlers.
Martin Guptill and Colin Munro showered boundaries in regular intervals as the duo added 105 runs in the first 12 overs for the first wicket. Guptill scored 45 off 41 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. Tom Bruce scored 18 off 12 balls and Williamson contributed 12 runs.
However, the whole New Zealand innings was surrounded by Munro smashing Indian bowlers all over the park. He scored his second T20I century, a 109* in 58 balls with 7 fours and 7 sixes. He was particularly harsh on debutant Siraj who went for 53 runs in his 4 overs and picked the wicket of Williamson.
On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah together went for just 52 runs in 8 overs, while the spin duo of Akshar and Chahal went for 75 runs in 7 overs. New Zealand could, however, manage 196/2 in their quota of 20 overs.
India needed good innings from the openers but Shikhar Dhawan was clean bowled by Trent Boult for 1 and Rohit was caught by Philips off Boult for 5 runs. Young Shreyas Iyer tried to do his best, hitting 4 fours in his 23, but he also got out while trying to smash Munro out of the park while Ish Sodhi was the one who once again dismissedHardikk Pandya for 1 run and that almost sealed the game for New Zealand.
Virat Kohli did his best with the bat as he became the second highest run-getter in the T20I format. MS Dhoni kept along with Virat for a while but it wasn’t enough in the end. However, a number of dot balls in Dhoni’s innings made the difference for Kohli.
Kohli departed trying to hit one out of the park for 65 and the visitors won the second T20I, to square the series 1-1. Dhoni made 49 runs with 3 sixes and 2 fours, getting out to Boult. In the end, men in blue lost the match by 40 runs.
The third and final match will be played at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram will decide who takes home the T20I trophy.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand: 196/2 (C Munro 109*, M Guptill 45) defeated India: 156/7 (V Kohli 65; T Boult 4/34) by 40 runs.
