Colin Munro's mantra: When in doubt, dial aggression

The big-hitting New Zealand left-handed batsman Colin Munro has already caught the eye with his aggressive style at the top of the order. He may not yet have scored a century like Chris Gayle did against England or setting ablaze the ground with sixes like AB de Villiers did against Afghanistan. But he is equally capable of playing the West Indian or the South African.

When Munro showed his intent to go after the bowling by reverse-sweeping Ravichandran Ashwin for six the second ball he faced in Nagpur in the ICC World T20 opener, he was only doing his role in the team. A cheeky four when he shaped to reverse hit Glenn Maxwell but changed the face of the bat to play a late cut for four like a right-handed batsman would was as effective.

He has shown his big-hitting abilities when he scored the second fastest T20I fifty off just 14 balls, only 20 minutes after team-mate Martin Guptill held that New Zealand record (19 balls). Remember his record 23 sixes in a first-class match for Auckland against Central Districts when the whole world had their eyes tuned into the Cricket World Cup in March 2015?

For the 29-year-old born in Durban, South Africa, his game plan is very clear. Hit the ball hard and long enough, not necessarily in the air. That was the best piece of advice he received from the recently-retired Brendon McCullum, who is credited for changing the way New Zealand approached batting.

“He (McCullum) is the one I speak to quite often about batting, nothing about technique but going out there and taking the aggressive option, enjoying what you are doing out there,” Munro said the other day. “He said, 'If you are not sure what to do, take the aggressive option. You can be aggressive in the way you play just hitting the ball hard, doesn't have to be in the air. That sets up the whole tone for the rest of the rest of the innings',” Munro said. 

New Zealand's left-handed No. 3 batsman said he'd be delighted to be “half a player as Brendon McCullum has been playing for New Zealand”.

“Some people might enjoy hitting the ball along the ground, batting technically correct. For me it is about going out there and expressing myself and having some fun, whether it is dancing down the wicket and hitting the first ball over the field or whether it is getting off the mark early. As long as I stay true to my game plan and attack the ball as much as I can will go a long way to being pretty successful,” Munro said.

He also knew the risks involved in taking the aggressive approach. “The risk is that you get out looking pretty silly sometimes. As long as my teammates know that is my game plan and that is my role in the team given by my coaches, management and Kane (Williamson) the captain, that is what matters. But, to the normal public, it might be another soft dismissal. As long as I am staying true to my role and game plan, nothing else really matters,” Munro, who debuted in T20I in 2012 and has 25 appearances till date, said.

Munro has been shuffled up and down the order but prefers to bat at No. 3, the position he has batted in the first two matches against India and Australia. “Batting at No. 3 gives me the freedom. Just to be going in there early, you can hit the ball over the field during Power Play. At No. six or seven, the role is about reading the situation, what the team needs. At No. 3, you can bat the same every time, whether you are setting the total or chasing. You can just go out and play your natural game. No. 3 suits my game pretty well.”

Hitting the ball hard is Munro's mantra. He has a strike rate of 151.47 in T20Is and 94.20 in ODIs. He plays the same way in first-class also, where he scores at 94.20 runs every 100 balls. “First-class cricket or T20, I still want to hit fours and sixes. It is just about staying true to my game plan, which is hitting the ball hard. That goes a long way for me being successful.”

Munro looked up to South African fast bowling great Allan Donald growing up in South Africa before moving over to New Zealand. He also admired Jacques Kallis for his elegant, stylish batting” and West Indies great Brian Lara “for his flamboyance and hitting the ball hard”.

Having played on the slow track of Nagpur and also the seaming conditions of Dharamsala, Munro is better off with such experience. “The surfaces can be different (in India). You can't just go out start hitting sixes straightaway. Even if you have scored runs the previous game, you have to respect the surface, respect the opposition,” said Munro, who spent time in IPL 2015 with Mumbai Indians, though not getting a game, learning to assess the conditions.

Pakistan, on Tuesday, watch out for Munro!