India vs New Zealand: Colin Munro scores ton as NZ beat IND in 2nd T20

Colin Munro’s 109 not out powered New Zealand cricket team to 196/2 in the second T20I against Indian cricket team at Rajkot.

Back in New Zealand, they say that when Colin Munro gets going it’s difficult to stop him. Saturday was such day as the left-hand batsman pummelled the Indian cricket team bowlers to score his second T20I century at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. (IND vs NZ 2nd T20I live updates)

New Zealand cricket team’s Colin Munro hits a six en route century against Indian cricket team in the second T20 at Rajkot on Saturday.(PTI)

New Zealand scored 196/2 with Munro remaining not out at 109. India’s chase never really took off -- they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could only manage 156/7 in 20 overs, going down by 40 runs.

Munro’s ton came off 54 balls and included six boundaries and seven sixes. His first T20I century came against Bangladesh at the start of the year. (IND vs NZ 2nd T20I scorecard)

Munro took his time to settle but once in his groove, he never looked backed, making full use of the flat deck at Rajkot, which offered very little assistance for the bowlers. Below par fielding by India did help Munro’s cause as well.

He got a total of three lives and made the Indians pay for it. His first reprieve came when he reached his fifty off the bowling on Axar Patel as the ball just went through Shreyas Iyer’s hands at long-on for a six. A little later, he could have been run out if Rohit Sharma was more accurate with his throw at the wicketkeeper’s end. He was third time lucky while on 79 when Yuzvendra Chahal dropped a sitter.

He and Martin Guptill (45) stitched a 105-run opening stand to set the pace for the Black Caps, who need to win the match to keep the series alive.

Initially, Munro was quite content at rotating the strike, hitting an odd boundary or two as Guptill opened up his shoulders. But having gauged the pace of the wicket and middling the ball with ease, he also started accelerating and hit two huge sixes off debutant Mohammad Siraj in the eighth over to get going.

The pacers did try to bowl short to Munro, a ploy which has troubled him in the previous matches. But the pitch wasn’t offering much for the India bowlers who trying to bowl contain the Black Caps batters.