Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner in the field during New Zealand’s T20 defeat to India in Wellington. Photo / Photosport
As arguably the best finger spinner, if not spinner fullstop, operating in white-ball cricket, Santner’s introduction came far too late to stop India’s batters, after his charges had already been hit to all parts of Hnry Stadium.
While it would be wrong to lay the blame for defeat at Santner’s feet alone, his figures of 1-17 from three overs – one short of his full allotment – show he would have potentially been able to stem the tide at the very least.
In all conditions around the world, Santner has consistently shown his worth as a white-ball spinner, with his ability to deceive batters with flight and changes of pace proving to be an even greater asset than how much spin he imparts on the ball.
There is logic to Santner holding himself back. As a left-arm spinner, bowling to India’s two left-handed openers would have turned the ball into the batters’ hitting arcs, and allowed them to attack the square boundaries.
But post-match, the captain explained that seeing the performance of India’s attack in the first innings convinced him to back his quicks – all of whom went at more than 13 runs per over.
“I watched Axar [Patel] in the first innings, there wasn’t a lot there,” Santner told Sky Sport. “There was a bit of nibble there for the seamers.
“We tried [Michael] Bracewell to the two left-handers to start. They played that spin over in the power play very well. From there, it was just [about] trying to change it up to see what they can do.
“We’re going to have to look at ways to try and stop them. We’ve seen before, it’s pretty tough to stop them. But we go to Eden Park where [the boundaries are] smaller all around.
India’s Abishek Sharma celebrates scoring his century against the Black Caps in Wellington. Photo / Photosport
“We’re going to have to try and find ways.”
The Black Caps aren’t the first international side to be on the receiving end of India’s raw power, nor will they be the last. With two matches still to be played in this series, and having not beaten India in a home T20 since 2019, there is also a chance this becomes the second whitewash inflicted on New Zealand on home soil, after 2020.
But with pride on the line, there is still plenty to play for.
“Any time you play for your country is very special,” said Daryl Mitchell post-match. “Going to Eden Park, it’s a very proud sporting ground for us as New Zealanders – with the amount of great cricket games there and also the All Blacks have done alright there.
“We’ll look forward to heading to Eden Park with a fern on our chest, and getting stuck in.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.