Stand-in captain Mitchell Santner for New Zealand had to go before another defeat as India thrashed his team by 73 runs in the third T20I in Kolkata. After playing the ICC T20 World Cup final, where they lost to Australia, the Kiwis were probably tired. However, Santner picked up three crucial wickets of Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant.
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“It is hard to predict what the dew will be like. He bowled very well at the top, especially Axar. The credit goes to India for the way he played throughout the series. We were probably closed. Came up against a very good Indian side. Every sport had periods,” Santner said. Meanwhile, the pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul brought the Kiwi team on the back foot in both the matches played in Jaipur and Ranchi. Santner made sure he gave credit to the pair. “It was difficult to come back from the pressure that Rahul and Rohit put on us. He is definitely a great player for us (Kane). With the schedule being so tight, it gives other people a chance.”
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He also looked positively, pointing to the various bright spots that were displayed by the guest side. There is not even a year left in the next T20 World Cup, he said, adding that Guptill’s performance was probably the biggest achievement of it all.
“With WC being in 11 months’ time you always look ahead. The way Guptill batted at the top, different people did well at different times (positive). Dew around Also challenging as a spinner. The second game was very wet. The way Ashwin and Axar coordinated.
Earlier, India bowled really well to bundle out New Zealand for just 111 runs to win the game by 73 runs. Captain Rohit Sharma batted first, hitting 56 off 31 balls with five fours and three sixes to test the team’s character, but despite a blistering start, Indian player Harshal Patel (18 runs) before the middle Fell in the overs. 11 balls) and Deepak Chahar (21 not out off 8 balls) used their long handles to get 50 runs in the last five overs. Ishan Kishan (29 off 21 balls), Shreyas Iyer (25 off 20 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (20 off 15 balls) all got starts but could not convert it into big scores.
(with agencies)
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