Mitchell Santner ripped through the Indian batting order in the Pune Test, finishing with his career best figures of 7/53 as the hosts were wrapped up for 156 runs. Santner, before the Pune Test, had 54 wickets in 28 Tests. He had never taken more than three scalps in an innings. His average in seven Tests in Asia stood at a whopping 53.29 but he turned the match in favour of New Zealand single-handedly with the ball. The left-arm spinner changed his pace impeccably to trouble the Indian batters throughout the day.
“At the start, I was kind of fast into it and then it kind of changed as the day went on. Washington Sundar did that as well, he did that very well. First it was 95 kph and then he started to slow it up and get the variations (going) and get the batters guessing,” Santner told the reports at the end of Day 2.
“Bowling stump-to-stump, if they want to play across the line or something, I think we’ve seen a lot of the LBWs and bowleds already. The majority of the wickets have been either LBWs or bowleds. It is about attacking the stumps.”
Before New Zealand’s tour of sub-continent started (two Tests vs Sri Lanka, one off against Afghanistan and three against India), the Black Caps appointed Sri Lankan spin great Rangana Herath as their spin-bowling coach. When asked whether working with Herath has helped his bowling, Santner said: “Rangana has been really good. Obviously in Sri Lanka and here, he took wickets all over the place. I think he was a master of that change in pace and that guile.
“Working with him, not just me, as a spin bowling unit has been really good, especially in these conditions that we’re not too similar to. Over here it’s playing with the seam angle a little bit more and getting one to stay down or one to bounce up.”
Last month, Santner played two Tests in Sri Lanka, both in Galle, and ended with figures of 1/197. However, he shut his critics with probably a match-winning bowling show in Pune.
“I think it was one of those days where I just got the wickets. I guess in Sri Lanka, I thought, I bowled pretty well at times and was unlucky on occasions, but I guess we speak about bowling in partnerships a lot,” Santner said.
“It’s very important out here if we can kind of build (pressure) from both ends, one guy will get the wickets and one guy will do more of the holding role. I guess that was kind of what it ended up in Sri Lanka, I was kind of holding and Ajaz or someone else got the wickets from the other end, we just try to build pressure from both ends.”
One of the highlights from Santner’s spell on Day 2 was getting Virat Kohli cleaned up on a full toss, to which the Kiwi said: “I was shocked to get Kohli out on a full toss, like that. It was more of a slower delivery. The change of pace was the key today.”