Opening gambit clicks for Munro
RAJKOT: In New Zealand, they say when Colin Munro gets going it’s difficult to stop him. Saturday was one such day as the lefthanded batsman pummelled the India bowlers to score his second T20 century (109 off 58) at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday.
Munro’s 54-ball ton included seven fours and seven sixes. His first century came against Bangladesh at the start of the year while batting in the middle-order.
It vindicated New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first on winning the toss.
The South Africa-born batsman took his time to settle down but once in his groove, he never looked back, making full use of the flat deck, which offered little for the Indian bowlers. Some below par fielding by India also helped Munro’s cause.
He got three chances and made India pay for it. His first reprieve came when he reached fifty off the bowling of Axar Patel as the ball went through Shreyas Iyer’s hands at long on.
The second time he could have been run out if Rohit Sharma had been more accurate with his throw to the wicketkeeper’s end. He was third time lucky when Yuzvendra Chahal dropped a sitter with Munro on 79.
He and Martin Guptill (45) stitched a 105-run opening stand to set the pace for the Black Caps.
Initially, Munro was content with rotating the strike, hitting the odd boundary, as Guptill opened his shoulders.
But having gauged the pace of the wicket and also middling the ball well, he started accelerating and hit two huge sixes off debutant pacer Mohammad Siraj in the eighth over.
The pacers did try to bowl short to Munro, a ploy which has troubled him in previous matches, but the pitch wasn’t offering much for them.