Last Update: January 28, 2023, 2:50 PM IST
New Zealand’s stand-in captain Mitchell Santner (AFP Image)
Daryl Mitchell heaps praise on New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner, calls him ‘one of the best spinners’ with the white ball
New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell lauds captain Mitchell Santner for his economical 2/11 in 1st T20I India At the JSCA International Stadium, the left-arm spinner was described as one of the best tweakers in white-ball cricket at the moment.
In his four overs, the New Zealand skipper, Santner bowled an impressive spell of 2/11 in four overs which included 18 dot balls and bowled a maiden to the in-form Suryakumar Yadav in the final over of the power-play.
He got plenty of grip and squared the ball as well as being accurate to dismiss Shubman Gill and Deepak Hooda on a Ranchi pitch that had heavy support from the spinners as New Zealand cruised through to a 21-run victory Got his first win and took 1 wicket. -0 lead in the three-match series.
“He is one of the best white-ball spinners in world cricket at the moment. He continues to prove his class. It was a very special spell from him and put us in a good position to win. He’s done it for New Zealand for a long time – very lucky to have him,” he said at the post-match press conference.
Batting first, New Zealand reached 176/6, thanks to half-centuries from opener Devon Conway, who scored 52 off 35 balls, and Mitchell, who scored 59 not out from 30 balls, including 27 in the final over.
They were also supported by opener Finn Allen’s quickfire 35 off 23 balls.
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“I thought Finn and Dev at the start and obviously Glenn (Phillips) and Dev also helped us take the innings deep and allowed us to put some pressure on India at the end of the innings. It was about constantly adapting, trying to find ways to put pressure on our bowlers.”
Mitchell admitted that hitting three sixes and a four off Arshdeep Singh in the final over almost saw him cross the 180 mark and give the visitors some hope of defending the total.
“It was definitely challenging at times through the middle, especially with the spinners – I think with the 180-ish ball on the board that gave us confidence. If we can bowl really well and put some pressure Can make it and hopefully the dew doesn’t subside so we knew we’d be in that ballpark.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)