Even under the night skies of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand weren’t spared the ‘Surya’ heat. With a confidence level always skyhigh, Suryakumar Yadav (111 not out off 51 balls) produced another blazing, classy knock that once again made the difference, laying the platform for India’s comprehensive 65- run win over the Black Caps at Bay Oval on Sunday.

Courtesy Suryakumar, who registered his second T20I century and also scored more than 58 per cent of the team total, India posted a formidable 191 for 6 after being put in. Aided by New Zealand’s inept showing with the bat, India’s bowlers were consistent in their lines and lengths, bowling the hosts out for 126 with seven balls remaining.

Captain Hardik Pandya didn’t even have to bowl, which only reflects how New Zealand were made to struggle. With the series opener washed out, India take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Sunday’s game proved once again how invaluable Suryakumar is in India’s T20I scheme of things.

On a pitch that did have a little bit of assistance for the quicks, Suryakumar, batting at No.3 on this occasion, calmly went about his game. Nonchalant as he usually is, Suryakumar was simply unperturbed by what was happening at the other end.

India went into the game with a left-handed opening duo after a long time. But Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant, too, were unable to make the best use of the Powerplay. The latter, in particular, looked short of steady and perished scoring only six.

Kishan seemed much more solid, but soon after play resumed post a half-an-hour stoppage due to a drizzle, he too departed. Shreyas Iyer didn’t last long as well, but Suryakumar was beginning to look dangerous by then.

After 13 overs, India were scoring at around eight-and-a-half. The scoring rate didn’t take too long to go past nine as Suryakumar unleashed his pyrotechnics.

The pick-up shots over the on-side, scoops and strokes over extra-cover were all there. But what also stood out was his inside-out shot against spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner.

Twice that shot yielded him a boundary before one, which he hit off Santner, fetched a maximum.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson tried to tie Suryakumar down with Lockie Ferguson. But that didn’t work as Ferguson’s extra pace was much to the liking of Suryakumar as he kept scoring at will.

The Black Caps pacer also erred on his part with a bit of extra width and room as Suryakumar latched on to those freebies, including chipping one wide pitched-up delivery over short third man for a four.

Reaching his half-century in 32 balls, Suryakumar took just 17 more deliveries to get his next 50.

In his 82-run fourth-wicket stand with Pandya in just 6.5 overs, the skipper scored only a run-a-ball 13, which only signifies how dominant Suryakumar was on one end.

India had a chance of touching the 200 mark, but Tim Southee denied them with a hat-trick in the final over of the first half, dismissing Pandya, Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar.

That hat-trick, though, mattered little as the likes of Mohammed Siraj (2/24), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/26) and even part-timer Hooda (4/10) then ensured Suryakumar’s sensational knock didn’t go in vain.

India would only wish their other batters also deliver going forward on the tour.