NZ skipper Santner enjoys fruits of defensive bowling

Mitchell Santner explains his defensive T20I blueprint after a match-winning 3/26 against India in Visakhapatnam, detailing how pressure, match-ups and key wickets powered New Zealand’s 50-run win.

After tormenting India one more time, left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner said his role in T20Is is to bowl defensive, build pressure and take wickets. He added that it was satisfying to see the strategy pay rich dividends in the fourth T20I in Visakhapatnam.

India came across a familiar foe in Santner as the New Zealand skipper bowled a brilliant spell of 4-0-26-3 to lead his side to a 50-run win at the ACA-VDCA stadium.

He extended the misery of Sanju Samson, got rid of the dangerous Hardik Pandya and then capped the fine run with the wicket of Jasprit Bumrah.

"I guess my role might be playing a little bit more defensive and trying to get wickets that way. At times you want to be smart, six singles are a good option. We've seen a lot of power hitting, a lot of big scores. So, I think the role as a spinner (in T20Is), unless there is spin, is to build pressure and get wickets that way," said Santner in the post-match press conference.

"If you're defending a big score, then let the run rate go up. And if it's a lower score, the only way we stop these guys is getting wickets. So, I think, yeah, it's all about adapting and seeing what's on the table," he added.

Santner explained his argument further, citing his dismissal of Pandya, whom he deceived on the flight to have him caught by Zak Foulkes on the edge of the circle.

"I've bowled a lot to Hardik in the Mumbai (Indians) nets and he knows me, I know him. So, I think in that situation, that (being defensive) was the only way we're going to kind of win that game because it's pretty tough to stop the Indian team when they're going," he added.

But on the night, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi went for plenty as Shivam Dube hammered him for 29 runs in an over.

Santner feels for Sodhi

Santner sympathised with his senior teammate, saying Sodhi, perhaps, was trying to be aggressive with India tottering at 82 for five in the 11th over and buy some wickets.

"I think if you bowl one in Dube's arc or Hardik's arc or Rinku's arc, they're going to take it on. You play the percentages and you want to play the match-ups. Yeah, I think as a finger spinner, it can be a challenge.

"If a batter is not picking a wrist spinner, you tell them to be a little more aggressive like Kuldeep (Yadav) or (Ravi) Bishnoi. So, Ish, with his more variations, might have been trying to be aggressive with the state of the game," Santner elaborated.

However, the New Zealand captain did not show any misery in lauding Dube for making a breezy 23-ball 65.

But he was quick to add that India's longer tail, with Harshit Rana coming in at No. 7, helped New Zealand's cause.

"I've seen him (Dube) do that a lot and he hits it very far. But we knew that if we could get him out, they didn't bat as deep as they have in other games. They had Harshit at seven. But I think Dube is very clear in what he wants to do. When the spinner comes on, he knows that that's a good match-up for him."