Colin Munro plundered 72 runs from 40 balls to set New Zealand on course for a four-run win over India in the third Twenty20 cricket international on Sunday and a 2-1 win in the three-match series.
Munro and Tim Seifert, who made 43 from 25 balls, gave New Zealand a lightning start that allowed it to reach 212-4 as it batted first after losing the toss.
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India's Rohit Sharma reacts after dropping a catch during their twenty20 cricket international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
New Zealand's Blair Tickner prepares to bowl on his debut during their twenty20 cricket international against India at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
New Zealand's Blair Tickner bowls during their twenty20 cricket international against India at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
India's Rishabh Pant bats against New Zealand during their twenty20 cricket international at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
New Zealand's Blair Tickner bowls against India during their twenty20 cricket international at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
India's Dinesh Karthik bats during their twenty20 cricket international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
India mostly lagged behind the necessary run rate and came to the last over needing 16 runs to win. Tim Southee bowled a tight over and though Dinesh Karthik thrashed the last ball for six, India came up just short at 208-6.
India's Rohit Sharma reacts after dropping a catch during their twenty20 cricket international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
Karthik finished 33 not out and Krunal Pandya 26 not out but India lacked the substantial partnerships that might have lifted it to its winning target.
Vijay Shankar, with 43 from 28 balls, and Rishabh Pant with 28 from 12 looked, along with the last pair, as if they might propel India to victory but the India run chase was poorly organized and fell just short.
"It was pretty disappointing not to go through that finishing lane but I thought we fought pretty well," India captain Rohit Sharma said. "I thought 210-odd was always going to be a tough chase but I thought we were in the game right until the end.
New Zealand's Blair Tickner prepares to bowl on his debut during their twenty20 cricket international against India at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
"But I thought New Zealand bowled pretty well at the end. They kept using that yorker which rewarded them."
Munro signaled his and New Zealand's intentions from the outset, hitting the first ball he faced from Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 6. He rushed to 50 from 28 balls with three fours and four sixes and his entire innings contained five fours and five sixes and set the tempo for a strong New Zealand batting performance.
New Zealand was 46-0 after five overs and its first 50 runs came from only 32 balls.
New Zealand's Blair Tickner bowls during their twenty20 cricket international against India at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
Seifert fell at 80-1 to a dubious stumping decision as M.S. Dhoni completed a slick dismissal from the bowling of Kuldeep Yadava. Munro continued to set the rapid tempo of the innings before falling to Yardav when New Zealand was 135-2.
Further contributions of 27 from 21 balls by captain Kane Williamson, 30 from 16 balls from Colin de Grandhomme, 19 from Daryl Mitchell — son of England assistant rugby coach John Mitchell — and 14 from seven balls by Ross Taylor swelled the New Zealand total and proved decisive in a close finish.
India suffered an early setback when it lost the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan to the bowling of left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the first over of its reply.
India's Rishabh Pant bats against New Zealand during their twenty20 cricket international at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
Captain Sharma set out to play an anchor role and batted until the 14th over. He was prepared to understudy the big hitters who were likely to see India to a match and series victory but their contributions were too sporadic and too short.
Vijay Shankar blasted 43 from 28 balls with five fours and two sixes and Rishabh Pant began what looked like a match-winning innings with three sixes and a four from his first eight deliveries. But he fell to one of the soft dismissals that undid India's chase for victory.
It stayed in the hunt for a win when it took 14 runs from the penultimate over, bowled by Scott Kuggeleijn. But Southee bowled a tight last over and Karthik, who monopolized the strike at the expense of Krunal Pandya, who had taken 26 runs from 13 balls, wasn't able to clinch a win.
New Zealand's Blair Tickner bowls against India during their twenty20 cricket international at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
"It was a brilliant series and both teams put on a fantastic display of cricket, especially today," Williamson said. "What a brilliant game and great advertisement for T20 cricket.
"Credit to India, they've been outstanding through this whole series but it was nice to get across the line tonight."
India's Dinesh Karthik bats during their twenty20 cricket international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. (AP PhotoDavid Rowland)
