Mitchell Santner praises India’s dominance while dissecting New Zealand’s tactical struggles in the recent T20.
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Mitchell Santner Admits
Is there any team in world cricket more suffocating to play against than India on home soil? For New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, the answer isn’t found in the scoreboard, but in the relentless pressure that begins the moment a bowler lets go of the ball.
After a hard-fought contest, Santner admitted that while his side fought back, they were ultimately outclassed by an Indian unit whose record over the last two years borders on the “fantastic.”
The match served as a stark reminder that against elite opposition, you don’t just lose wickets; you lose the ability to breathe.
The Rescue and the Regret
The Kiwis found themselves in a familiar hole early on, losing stalwarts Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra before the engine room had even started. Santner was transparent in his disappointment regarding the top-order collapse, noting that early wickets on high-quality pitches are a luxury no team can afford.
However, the silver lining came in the form of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. Their partnership was a masterclass in calculated recovery. Santner highlighted that on modern tracks, a slow start isn’t a terminal diagnosis.
“If you give yourself a little time, you can catch up,” he noted—a philosophy Phillips and Chapman executed perfectly to drag New Zealand back into the fight.
The “No-Fly Zone” for Spinners
Perhaps the most telling part of Santner’s analysis was his justification for the bowling rotations. He opted to use Mitchell’s cutters in the final over, a decision sparked by how aggressively the Indian batsmen attacked the primary spinners.
In Santner’s view, the pitch suggested that slower balls were “holding up,” but in the cauldron of a final over, tactical theory often meets the brutal reality of Indian power-hitting.
The Death of the Dot Ball
In most T20 matches, a string of dot balls is a victory for the fielding side. Against India, Santner argues that this mindset is a trap.
You cannot bowl your way to a win through containment alone. The Indian lineup is built to punish passivity, requiring bowlers to be “ready from the first ball” to take wickets rather than just drying up the runs.
Don’t Jinx the Veteran
Despite the loss, Santner found time to offer a protective word for Jacob Duffy. When asked about the seamer’s performance, Santner jokingly warned, “Don’t jinx him.”
Duffy has evolved into the senior statesman of this attack, proving that swing at the top is more disruptive than raw pace at the death. His ability to move the ball early remains the Kiwis’ best chance of cracking a top-heavy Indian order.
Ultimately, this match was a “good test” for the Black Caps, but it reaffirmed a terrifying truth: India doesn’t just win games; they force you to play a perfect match just to stay in the conversation.
Key Summary Points
- Captain’s View: Mitchell Santner acknowledged India’s “fantastic” two-year record as the deciding factor.
- Top Order Issues: Disappointment was expressed over the early exits of Conway and Ravindra.
- Middle Order Grit: Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman were praised for their “fantastic” rebuilding innings.
- Tactical Shift: Santner emphasized that trying to bowl dot balls against India is no longer a viable strategy; aggression is mandatory.