New Zealand Pound India To Level Series
PACER TRENT BOULT TOOK FOUR WICKETS TO HELP BLACK CAPS WIN BY 40 RUNS
New Delhi: Pacer Trent Boult took four wickets to help New Zealand beat India by 40 runs in the second T20I in Rajkot on Saturday. New Zealand levelled the three-match series 1-1 with the comprehensive victory.
Chasing 197-run target, India were restricted to 156/7 in 20 overs. Boult led the attack with excellent figures of 4-34, with Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne and Ish Sodhi taking a wicket each.
Boult gave New Zealand a perfect start by removing both India openers, Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Rohit Sharma (5), cheaply in the second over of the hosts’ innings. India were 11/2 in 2 overs when Virat Kohli joined Shreyas Iyer in the middle. Kohli and Iyer stabalised the chase with 54 runs stand, before centurion Munro got better of Iyer (23) in the ninth over.
The only substantial partnership after that was between Kohli and MS Dhoni as they put on 56 runs for the fifth wicket. But Kohli’s wicket in the 17th over vertually ended India’s hopes in the match. India skipper scored 65 off 42 balls which included a six and eight fours.
While, Dhoni was the last wicket to fall for India when he became fourth victim of Boult in the final over. Dhoni missed to score his second fifty of T20I career as he got out for 49 which came off 37 balls with the help of three sixes and two fours.
Earlier, opener Munro punished the listless Indian bowling with an unbeaten 109 and powered New Zealand to an imposing 196 for two.
Left-handed Munro used his bat like a sledgehammer striking seven sixes and as many fours in his 58-ball knock.