India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20 Rajkot, highlights: NZ win by 40 runs, level series

Colin Munro was the star as he blasted his second Twenty20 International century to help New Zealand reach a formidable 196/2 against India in Rajkot. The left-hander shared a 105-run stand with Martin Guptill to set up a good score. Trent Boult responded with the ball as he picked up 4/34 to give New Zealand a 40-run win and level the three-match series 1-1. With this win, New Zealand have extended their head-to-head advantage against India to 6-1. For the Indian cricket team, only Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni fought. The Indian skipper notched up his 18th century while Dhoni slammed 49 but their efforts have gone in vain. Catch highlights score of India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20, Rajkot here. (STREAMING INFO) (SCORECARD)

22:45 hrs IST: Colin Munro, Man of the Match: Felt good with the bat, but had been getting out at funny times. Love batting at the top of the order. The way I bat, it is the same every time. Try and hit the ball for four or six or if it is not there, get off the strike.

22:39 hrs IST: Kane Williamson: We need to play well to beat this side, and we were able to do so. It was a great partnership. Fantastic hundred from him (Colin Munro). Guptill at the top and then Tom Bruce coming in. Great performance from the bowlers on this wicket.

22:36 hrs IST: Virat Kohli: Credit to Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar to have pulled things back. But eventually we were not good with bat. When you chasing 200, all batsmen need to chip in or one guy needs to go over 200. MS was very good in the end, but we left ourselves too much to get.

22:31 hrs IST: Ish Sodhi: It was a flat wicket, the hundred by Colin Munro was special, he will remember it for the rest of his life. It started to spin in the second innings, the ball got scruffed up and started helping the bowlers. I have practiced the googly a lot in the nets, wanted it to bowl at the right time.

22:25 hrs IST: New Zealand have sealed a decisive win. They win by 40 runs and level the series 1-1. Just like the ODI series, the third match will be the decider in Thiruvanathapuram.

22:21 hrs IST: WICKET! No, he can’t. Short ball from Boult and Dhoni mistimes the pull to square leg. Tame dismissal to a strange innings. MS Dhoni c Santner b Boult 49 (37).

22:20 hrs IST: SIX! Dhoni launches Boult into the stands at deep mid wicket. Can he get to his fifty?

22:18 hrs IST: FOURS! Dhoni is finding the fence but it is too late. They can only reduce the margin of defeat.

22:16 hrs IST: DROPPED! Does not matter but New Zealand will not be happy about this. Short ball from Milne, Dhoni miscues the lofted shot and Santner spills it at long off. Poor effort.

22:14 hrs IST: India need 65 off 12 balls. Basically, they need to hit sixes at will.

22:11 hrs IST: WICKET! Axar Patel dances down the track and Boult drags the delivery short outside off, the batsman flat bats it to cover. Axar Patel c Williamson b Boult 5 (3).

22:06 hrs IST: WICKET! That is a massive wicket. That could seal the deal for New Zealand. Excellent stuff from Santner. Kohli skips down the track and Santner gets the delivery to kick up from the deck, Kohli edges it. Virat Kohli c Phillips b Santner 65 (42).

22:02 hrs IST: SIX! After four good balls, Dhoni breaks the shackles and thwacks Sodhi over wide long on for a vital six. India are just hanging in there.

21:58 hrs IST: FOUR | Brilliant from Kohli. He steps out of the crease and creams the drive inside out to deep extra cover.

21:53 hrs IST: SIX! Brilliant from Dhoni. Sodhi tosses the delivery up and Dhoni hammers it over long on for a vital six.

21:50 hrs IST: FOUR | Kohli is finding the boundary on a regular basis. He whips a length ball off his pads for a vital boundary. The asking rate is big but Kohli and Dhoni can do it.

21:46 hrs IST: FOUR! Brilliant from Kohli as he dances down the track and whacks Santner down the ground, one bounce over the ropes.

21:43 hrs IST: FOUR! Kohli breaks the shackles by slamming a boundary straight down the ground. He is nearing his fifty.

21:40 hrs IST: After 10 overs, India are 71/4. They need 127 off 60 balls. If there are two people who can achieve this feat, it is Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

21:36 hrs IST: WICKET! Brilliant bowling from Ish Sodhi. The googly and it stays low, Pandya hangs back and is cleaned up. He cannot believe it, he still can’t believe it. Hardik Pandya b Ish Sodhi 1 (2).

21:33 hrs IST: WICKET! Colin Munro can do no wrong. Slow length ball on off stump, Iyer mistimes the lofted shot and the bowler runs back to take the catch at mid off. Shreyas Iyer c and b Colin Munro 23 (21).

21:30 hrs IST: 4,4,6| Kohli has decided to tee off. He slams Santner for two fours and then seals the over with a big six over long on. Action packed over this.

21:26 hrs IST: REVIEW! Big moment in the game for Kohli and India. The Indian skipper attempts the reverse sweep but misses it. New Zealand review and the ball is missing leg stump. Turning point one feels in this game.

21:21 hrs IST: India have managed 40 runs in six overs. End of the powerplay. However, until Kohli is there, no target is safe.

21:17 hrs IST: Only two runs in the fifth over bowled by Adam Milne. Good start this for New Zealand but Virat Kohli will be the key in this chase.

21:13 hrs IST: Three boundaries from the fourth over. India 35/2 in 4 overs.

21:07 hrs IST: OUT! Rohit Sharma is gone. He nicks one and is caught at the back by Phillips.

21:03 hrs IST: OUT! Trent Boult sends Shikhar Dhawan back to the pavilion. The Indian southpaw misses the delivery and it knocks off his middle stump.

21:01 hrs IST: India start with six runs from the opening over.

20:50 hrs IST: India’s chase has been delayed due to a power failure in Rajkot.

20:31 hrs IST: New Zealand finish on 196/2. Good comeback by the Indian bowlers after being tonked around from the start. Is it enough? Considering the strength of the Indian batting, seems a little under-par.

20:25 hrs IST: FOUR! Munro unfurls the lap scoop and gets it over short fine leg. Can he carry his bat and get New Zealand to over 200?

20:22 hrs IST: CENTURY! Brilliant from Colin Munro as he registers his second century in Twenty20 Internationals. What a knock this has been. Brings up his landmark off just 54 balls.

20:15 hrs IST: Mohammed Siraj finishes his spell. 4-0-53-1. New Zealand are motoring along. Can India restrict them to under 200?

20:10 hrs IST: SIX! Munro enters the 90s with a monstrous six over long on off Siraj. This is turning out to be a bittersweet debut for the Hyderabad lad.

20:09 hrs IST: DROPPED! Chahal spills a chance off Munro and the batsman responds with a four to third man. Even Tom Bruce joins in the fun.

20:06 hrs IST: FOUR! Inside edged but safe! The yorker from Siraj and Munro manages to squeeze it out to the fine leg fence. That was mighty close.

20:01 hrs IST: WICKET! Brilliant from Siraj and after all the punishment, he is finally rewarded. Full ball on the pads, Kane Williamson flicks it to the deep square leg fence but he finds the fielder. Kane Williamson c Rohit Sharma b Mohammed Siraj 12 (9).

19:58 hrs IST: FOUR! Low full toss from Pandya and Munro blasts it to the long off boundary, one bounce over the ropes. He is eyeing a ton.

19:54 hrs IST: 6,4| Munro continues to hurt India as he swings freely across the line to thump it over long on. In the final ball, Kane Williamson dispatches a short ball to the deep mid wicket fence.

19:52 hrs IST: Run-out chance missed! Munro sets out for a quick single and Kohli fires a rocket throw to Dhoni but it bounces awkwardly. All of Dhoni’s magical skills cannot effect a run-out.

19:50 hrs IST: Appeal for a catch and Kohli reviews. Kane Williamson looks to sweep and the ball comes off the forearm. Umpire checks whether there is a faint edge but Real Time Snicko does not show a spike.

19:45 hrs IST: WICKET! Finally, India get the breakthrough. Flighted ball from Chahal and Guptill miscues the lofted shot to be caught at long off. Martin Guptill c Pandya b Chahal 45 (41).

19:44 hrs IST: SIXES! Munro has raced to his first fifty. He blasts a six over deep mid wicket and next ball, he miscues the slog but Shreyas Iyer spills it near the boundary. Unfortunately, he ends up palming it over.

19:39 hrs IST: DROPPED! Harsh but it was a great effort. Munro cracks the pull and thwacks it to deep mid wicket, Bhuvneshwar is near the ropes and he leaps to palm the ball back on to the field, five runs saved.

19:38 hrs IST: SIX! Monstrous hit from Guptill. Flighted on leg stump, the batsman slog sweeps it into the stands at deep mid wicket.

19:36 hrs IST: Axar Patel starts well. But, New Zealand have made a great start. Can India break this stand quickly?

19:32 hrs IST: SIX! Poor stuff from the right-arm pacer. Once again a slow length ball from Siraj and Munro thrashes it down the ground for his second maximum. Siraj’s figures are 2-0-26-0.

19:31 hrs IST: SIX! Siraj continues to leak runs. Length ball on middle stump, Munro swings through the line to thump it down the ground for a maximum.

19:26 hrs IST: FOUR! Short ball wide outside off, Munro cracks Bumrah to the deep backward point.

19:20 hrs IST: 6,4,6! Clean hitting from Guptill. Not a good start for Yuzvendra Chahal in the powerplay. The first six is straight down the ground. The four is one bounce straight down the ground while the second is a slog to deep mid wicket. 17 runs in the over.

19:17 hrs IST: Jasprit Bumrah comes into the attack and he concedes just three runs in his first over.

19:13 hrs IST: FOUR! Bhuvneshwar had bowled five good balls, but the last one is short and Munro gets on top of the bounce to pull it to deep square leg. Outfield is super fast.

19:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Guptill advances down the ground slightly as he blasts a length ball past the bowler for a boundary to long off. 10 runs in Siraj’s first over. New Zealand are 15/0 in two overs.

19:05 hrs IST: FOUR! Poor start for Mohammed Siraj. Short and slightly wide outside off, Colin Munro punches it to deep point. Not a great start for the debutant.

19:02 hrs IST: FOUR! Great start from Martin Guptill. Bhuvneshwar Kumar floats a good length ball and it swings back in on to the pads, Guptill hoicks it to deep mid wicket. New Zealand 5/0 in the first over.

19:00 hrs IST: Right, we are all set for the game to begin in Rajkot. On a flat deck, this gives New Zealand the best opportunity to level the series. However, they face an uphill task.

18:52 hrs IST: New Zealand have sprung a surprise by dropping Tom Latham, their best batsman on the tour. Will that prove to be costly?

18:45 hrs IST: Getting the nippy Siraj into the side is a good move and it will only expand India’s depth in their bowling. Can New Zealand put up a good score against a power-packed Indian batting line-up?

18:36 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Bruce, Glenn Phillips(w), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), MS Dhoni(w), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj

18:35 hrs IST: Apart from Siraj, there are no other changes in the Indian cricket team. For New Zealand, Adam Milne is in for Tim Southee. Glenn Philips replaces Tom Latham.

18:31 hrs IST: New Zealand have won the toss and chosen to bat. Mohammed Siraj makes his debut for India. What a moment for him.

18:22 hrs IST: There are reports that Mohammed Siraj could make his debut today in Rajkot. India currently have a problem of plenty regarding batting and bowling.

18:15 hrs IST: A win for India will continue their dominance in the home season, where they are yet to be beaten in a series in any format since 2015.

18:06 hrs IST: With India on the cusp of a series win, Virat Kohli’s side will be aiming to continue their ruthless streak. In the only Twenty20 International that they played in Rajkot in 2013, they had defeated Australia.

17:57 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the second and potentially series-deciding clash between India and New Zealand from Rajkot. Virat Kohli’s side finally broke the jinx in New Delhi when they registered their first win over the Black Caps. Now, it is time to seal the series.

The Indian cricket team will once again bank on the batting prowess of their top 3 with both openers – Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan – looking in great form. The spinners were also quite impressive in the first game and Kuldeep Yadav can make a comeback into the side for the game.

New Zealand, on the other hand, were completely outplayed on all fronts and Kane Williamson’s men will have to improve their game in order to stage a comeback. The fielding was one of the biggest let-downs in New Delhi and they will be looking to produce a better show on Saturday.