Mitchell Santner was brilliant, claiming his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket and crucially for New Zealand, turning the screw on India in their second match of the Test series at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, October 25. He took seven wickets for only 53 runs as India wilted under the spin menace.
Career-best Test figures ✅
Maiden Test five-wicket bag ✅
Second best Test innings figures for New Zealand in India ✅
Third best Test innings figures for New Zealand against India ✅
Eighth equal best innings figures in New Zealand Test history ✅ pic.twitter.com/u22mTMGAv4---Advertisement---— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) October 25, 2024
Mitchell Santner’s Five-Wicket Haul
Santner became the fifth New Zealand spinner to take a five-wicket haul in Tests in India and recorded the second-best bowling figures for a Kiwi spinner in the country, only behind Ajaz Patel’s historic 10-wicket innings haul at Mumbai in 2021. On Friday morning, Santner wreaked havoc with four wickets in quick succession and three more in the afternoon session that led India collapse at 156 all out in just 45.3 overs. The one exception was Ravindra Jadeja, who felt his wrists enough to score a breezy 38.
Top New Zealand Spinners Against India
| PLAYER | WICKETS | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajaz Patel | 10 | Mumbai | 2021 |
| Mitchell Santner | 7 | Pune | 2024 |
| John Bracewell | 6 | Mumbai | 1988 |
| Daniel Vettori | 6 | Kanpur | 1999 |
| Hedley Howarth | 5 | Nagpur | 1969 |
| Daniel Vettori | 5 | Hyderabad | 2010 |
Santner Puts New Zealand In Drivers Seat
India’s grave lapse has cost them as they cannot adapt to the conditions for the second Test running. Last week they were bowled over for the sorry sum of 46 in the first innings in Bengaluru, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was India’s lowest Test total at home. Santner capitalised on his consistent line and length, taking Indian batters with confidence. His breakthrough came when he dismissed Shubman Gill LBW for 30, while the critical wicket of Virat Kohli came when he misplayed a fuller delivery with a cross-batted shot. He went ahead and claimed wickets of Sarfaraz Khan and R. Ashwin as India lost six wickets for just 91 runs in the first session.
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Then, of course, he tortured the Indian lineup by getting Ravindra Jadeja, who was putting up a struggle. He bowled in the right spots, letting the pitch help him, while the Indian batters were finding it tough to handle low or skidding deliveries.
Santner finished the Indian innings by claiming the last wicket of Jasprit Bumrah in the second session in an authoritative display.
