Sri Lanka’s renowned spinner Rangana Herath revealed the key factor that contributed to Mitchell Santner’s effectiveness during the second Test against India in Pune.
Rangana, serving as New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach for their tour of Asia, joined the team for a campaign that began with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in September.
Rangana Herath on New Zealand’s spin triumph in India: ‘It was all about accuracy’. A legend. NZ is so lucky to have his services. https://t.co/xhVhF6uLz4
— Matthew Littlewood (@matthew_l84) November 15, 2024
Under Herath’s guidance, the Kiwis achieved a historic 3-0 series whitewash over India, marking the first time in 24 years that the hosts suffered such a defeat.
After New Zealand’s commanding 8-wicket victory in the opening Test, all eyes turned to Pune, the venue for the second game of the series.
On a pitch offering considerable turn for spinners, Santner proved to be the decisive factor in New Zealand’s triumph and India’s loss.
He dismantled India’s batting line-up in both innings, registering career-best Test figures that sealed the victory for the visitors.
Santner adopted a fuller length to his deliveries, making quick work of India’s key batters and steering the Kiwis to a historic series win on Indian soil.
“I think he had mostly played white-ball cricket over the past few months, and as a result, he was initially bowling white-ball lengths. When the pitch offers turn, you need to bowl fuller. Although Santner wasn’t bowling short, pitching it up a bit more made him far more effective on these kinds of surfaces,” Herath told ESPNcricinfo.
In the first innings, Santner finished with figures of 7/53 in 19.3 overs. He maintained his dominance in the second innings, claiming 6/104 to earn the Man of the Match award.
Santner’s remarkable haul of 13/157 not only secured New Zealand’s series victory but also marked the first time India had lost a home Test series since 2012. Herath noted the impact Santner made from the moment captain Tom Latham handed him the ball.
“From the time he started, I thought, ‘He’s going to bowl well here.’ It’s hard to predict someone taking five or more wickets, but he was impressive from the outset in that game [with 13 wickets],” Herath said.
“I think we built a lot of pressure with spin. When batters have an attacking mindset, the fields set by Ajaz [Patel] and Santner were very effective. The bowlers took ownership of those plans, and the captain and others were fully aligned with them,” Herath added.
After their success in Asia, New Zealand will host England for a three-Test series, beginning on November 28.
