New Zealand Captain Mitchell Santner Reflects on ODI Series Loss to India

Mount Maunganui, November 15 (Daily Kiran) : New Zealand‘s cricket team faced a disappointing end to their ODI series against India, losing the fifth match by 22 runs on November 15 in Mount Maunganui. Captain Mitchell Santner expressed that the team could have secured a victory if their batsmen had managed to stay at the crease a little longer.

In the match held at Bay Oval, India defended a modest total of 209 runs successfully. During the post-match presentation, Santner praised the Indian bowling attack, stating, “They bowled exceptionally well tonight. All four of their fast bowlers were impressive, and Shreyas rotated them effectively. Clearly, they kept Axar in check as their pace bowlers found a great rhythm. They consistently took wickets during the middle overs. If we could have extended each partnership a bit longer, we would have won the match. There were moments when batting became challenging. They brought back Arshdeep and Siraj at the right times. Overall, it was an outstanding bowling performance.”

He noted that the pitch’s behavior made it tough for batsmen to find their rhythm. “The pitch was a bit unpredictable, sometimes fast and at other times slow. They kept us under significant pressure and made excellent use of the bounce,” he added.

Earlier in the match, New Zealand had successfully restricted India to 209 runs, a score Santner was satisfied with. He commended off-spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell for his exceptional bowling in the middle overs. “At the halfway stage, I was quite pleased. The pitch may not have offered as much help as we expected. Our players adapted well to the conditions. It was a bit slow, and the way ‘Beast’ (Michael Bracewell) bowled in the middle overs was remarkable. We kept taking wickets consistently. I was very happy with the score of 209. If you look at the 3-1 scoreline, the matches were much closer than that. We played good cricket. Of course, there was some rain and we lost a few tosses, but despite that, there were many positives. If we could have pushed the game a bit further… in 50-over cricket, especially while batting, we have plenty of time. Additionally, it was a good experience for various players to get opportunities. They stepped up, which is a positive.”

During the chase, Santner sustained an injury to his hand, requiring assistance from the physio. He revealed that the injury is still troubling him and that he is waiting for a scan for further information. “There’s quite a bit of pain, but not too much,” he said with a smile. “However, it’s not in the best condition. An X-ray is scheduled for Monday; we’ll see what it reveals.”