New Zealand threw it away from a winning position in the last two T20s against India but opener Colin Munro instead gave credit to the visiting team, saying it managed to “always” find a way to bounce back.
Munro and Tim Seifert scored half-centuries to tie the scores at 165 runs each for both sides, but India held its nerves to end up victorious in thrilling fashion for the second game running to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
“That’s cricket isn’t it? We put ourselves in positions to win both of those games I thought. But India, with the roll they’re on at the moment and the cricket that they’re playing, they always just find a way. And then Super Over is a bit of luck each way. It can go either way I reckon,” he said on Friday.
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“We’re all sitting in the sheds now and talking about it and hurting that we have let two games like that slip. And, I put my hand up too. We talk about running quickly between the wickets and then I was dawdling with that second one, and Kohli picks up and does some magical work and that’s it.
“There are a few guys that are hurting. But we are tight in our group and we will bounce back, come Sunday hopefully, he added.
Munro said New Zealand was happy with the target it had set. “I thought I should come out a bit harder and play some shots early. To be brutally honest, they’ve bowled really well to me after that first game in Eden Park. They’ve come straighter at me and put two guys out on the leg-side and sort of attacked my body a lot more.
“And the nature of the new-ball on this wicket and it was sticky and holding a bit every now and again. It probably was nice for me to show that maturity and getting through that tough phase against the new-ball and getting myself in and very disappointed with the way I got out but it’s nice to sort of contribute to a team total.”
However, it is not all doom and gloom for his team, feels Munro.
“It’s not like we’re being blown off the park. 202 in the first game and they chased it down. The only game where we probably didn’t step up to our standards was the second one at Eden Park, where we fell 15-20 runs short. I think we’ve been playing some good cricket. India have just been 1 or 2 per cent better than us, he said.
The turning point came when Virat Kohli’s speedy turn and throw ran Munro out. The batsman admitted he was caught unawares by the speedy fielding effort.
“I just saw Shardul throw towards the wicket-keeper’s end or the bowler’s end, whichever one it was, and I saw it going over and I thought oh well it’s going to the non-danger end for me, and when I saw Kohli catch the ball and spin around, then I thought crap I’m in a bit of trouble here. And then he hit like he usually does.”
India is now in an unprecedented position to win the series by a 5-0 margin. Munro said that the visiting team didn’t have any mental advantage and that New Zealand will be looking to bounce back in Tauranga on Sunday.
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