India Vs New Zealand: Dismissing Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan Early Was Massive, Says Colin Munro

Colin Munro, who put in a Man of the Match performance on Saturday night in the 2nd T20I against India, said that dismissing in-form openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan early was massive for the visitors. New Zealand beat India by 40 runs to level the three-match series 1-1. Munro credited his team's outstanding bowling attack for the win over the hosts at Rajkot on Saturday. Left-arm pace bowler Trent Boult sent back openers Dhawan and Rohit in the second over to leave the hosts struggling at 11-2, chasing an imposing score of 196-2, built mainly on Munro's belligerent knock of 109 not out that contained seven sixes and as many fours.

"(It was) massive. (Grabbing) wickets halts the momentum of the team and those two players are in good form like we saw in the first T20," said Munro in the post-game press conference.

"They put on a record partnership (158) and for Trent to come out, stand up and lead the attack like he did tonight was outstanding. As was Adam Milne. 

"To come out and bowl like they did gave us a lot of momentum and belief and then the spinners (Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi) could come in and do their thing knowing that they were behind required rate from the start," added the South Africa-born player.

India's run-chase was halted at 156 for 7 as the visitors notched up a resounding 40-run victory after they had suffered a 53-run loss in the series opener at Delhi. The deciding last game will be played on November 7 at Thiruvananthapuram.

On his own sensational knock, star of the match Munro, only the fourth batsman to score two T20I hundreds, said he relished the shortest form of the game. 

"I enjoy Twenty20, it's a game where you know it's a short game and you go out there to express yourself and when it comes off, it comes off. Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself in the longer form where you've got to score runs all the time," he said.

"In Twenty20, you just got to go out there and express yourself and take the good with the bad. Sometimes it comes off like it did tonight and the other night it didn't come off. You just got to go with the flow."

Talking about his two T20 centuries, Munro said. "Obviously the first hundred you score for your country, it always means a lot against Bangladesh. Again to come to India, play against a tough opposition and score a hundred and bat throughout the innings, means a heck of a lot.
 
"The wicket was very good. I thought, when the bowlers bowled back of a length, changed their pace a little bit with a straighter line, I did find it quite tough to score. We bowled outstandingly well," he added.

The Black Caps surprisingly left out wicket keeper and in-form batsman Tom Latham, described by Indian left arm spinner Axar Patel as the visitors' best player of spin.

"I think it's a tough one on Tommy. He has been an outstanding batter on this tour so far. I think it's just that both keepers are different kind of a bat, and I think they went with Glenn (Phillips) because of a different skill set. "Maybe batting towards the death, few more options I think, I'm not too sure exactly, but that's my take on it."

With PTI inputs.