In an emphatic display of all-round cricketing prowess, Mitchell Santner led New Zealand to a commanding 112-run series-clinching win over India in the second Test match held in Pune. Santner’s remarkable performance with the ball, marked by figures of 6 for 104 in the second innings following his career-best 7 for 53 in the first, was instrumental in securing this significant victory for the Kiwis, ending India’s unbeaten home series streak since 2012.
India, facing a challenging task at Tea on Day 3, needed 181 more runs to overcome New Zealand’s total and stay afloat in the game. Despite efforts from seasoned players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India’s hopes were swiftly smothered under Santner’s bowling excellence. Although Ashwin and Jadeja managed to assemble a 39-run partnership to delay the impending defeat, Santner’s brilliance shone through as he had Ashwin caught by Daryl Mitchell at first slip. Jadeja, despite his valiant 42, found himself stranded with only the tail-enders for company, and his resistance was eventually brought to an end by Ajaz Patel.
The foundation for New Zealand’s win was laid on their meticulous performance both with bat and ball. On a challenging Pune surface, where the dry and spinning conditions made the toss a pivotal factor, the Kiwis, led by Tom Latham in his first match as a full-time captain, capitalized on their opportunity. The innings was anchored by Devon Conway (76) and Rachin Ravindra (65), who provided stability amidst the tricky conditions. Washington Sundar’s impressive 7 for 59 brought New Zealand to a gripping standstill but failed to prevent them from setting a competitive target.
In retrospect, the contributions of Conway and Ravindra were crucial, offering New Zealand a strategic advantage despite a collapse engineered by Sundar’s exceptional spell. Their considerate stroke play, especially from Ravindra, helped weather the storm and accumulate significant runs before the rest fell in quick succession for just 62 runs. This brief window of optimism for India as they rallied on Day 1, was expeditiously snuffed out by relentless New Zealand performance on the subsequent day.
For Santner, returning to the fold after a challenging time in Sri Lankan conditions, this match was an opportunity to reaffirm his place in the Test squad.
. He seized it with influential performances across both innings, leveraging height, pace variations, and the erratic bounce of the Pune wicket to dismantle the Indian batting order. Most notably, Indian batsmen faltered in their approach against spin, reflecting a typically confident line-up being uncharacteristically timid.
The first innings numbers saw India’s mainstay batsmen, such as Yashasvi Jaiswal (30), Shubman Gill (30), and Ravindra Jadeja (38), unable to convert starts into substantial scores. As a result, New Zealand walked away with a 103-run lead, a decisive advantage on the humorously turning surface. From thereon, the host nation was left chasing shadows, their defensive strategies undermined as New Zealand’s batsmen, led by Latham with a studious 86, came back with renewed aggression.
India’s bowlers, borne under the duress of defending an impeccable home record, struggled to replicate Santner’s controlled bowling. Ashwin and Jadeja found themselves outmatched despite Sundar’s intermittent breakthroughs (4 for 56), as New Zealand steered confidently to 198/5 by the second day’s conclusion, taking the lead beyond 300.
As India embarked on the seemingly insurmountable chase of 359 on a turning track, the odds were clearly stacked against them, spotlighting the need for an extraordinary effort. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s valiant attempt, with a spirited 77, Santner’s continuing menace ensured no fairy tales ensued for the hosts. The wicket of Jaiswal, compounded by Rishabh Pant’s unfortunate run out for naught, firmly sealed India’s fate.
Achieving two five-wicket hauls in a single Test match, Santner etched his name in the history books not only for his personal feats but also for leading his team to create history. This victory marks New Zealand as the first team in twelve years to win a series on Indian soil, a testament to the superiority they exhibited throughout and underscoring India’s rare back-to-back series loss following their earlier defeat on a seam-friendly Bengaluru pitch.
Brief scores: New Zealand 259 and 255 (Tom Latham 86; Washington Sundar 4-56, Ravindra Jadeja 3-72) beat India 156 and 245 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 77, Ravindra Jadeja 42; Mitchell Santner 6-104) by 112 runs.