Santner exposes India’s batting and spin vulnerabilities in series win against NZ

PUNE: India's attempt to create a spin-friendly pitch out of desperation once again ended in disappointment at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje. This was the second time they had tried to do so, with the first attempt back in 2017 during the inaugural Test at this venue against Australia. On that occasion, left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe wreaked havoc with 12 wickets on a sharply turning pitch, leading to a defeat for the hosts.

While India fought back to win that series 2-1, there won’t be comebacks this time. Mitchell Santner, even more in the margins of his team’s red-ball plans than O’Keefe was, completed his domination of the misfiring Indian batters to hand the Kiwis victory in three days.

Two defeats in a row will leave India facing batting and bowling questions, for the final Test in Mumbai and ahead of the mega series in Australia.

A dejected Rohit Sharma acknowledged that it was nowhere near a pitch for a side to be rolled over for 156, as India were in the first innings. They were only marginally better in the second, dismissed for 245 all out. Defeat seemed the likely outcome once New Zealand set a fourth-innings target of 359, but still India not having the stomach for a fight was surprising.

Like the Steve Smith-led team did in 2017, New Zealand adapted brilliantly to the pitch conditions to pull off a thumping 113-run victory, defeating India in a Test series in their den for the first time.

India’s performance was a big let-down for home fans who flocked in. Being a weekend, Pune fans turned up in large numbers, the official count being 28,000. However, by the tea break, with the scoreboard reading 178/7, half the stadium had emptied.

India had chased 387 against England at Chennai in the 2008 series. Although such hopes were rekindled in their aggressive start, none of the batters barring Yashasvi Jaiswal evoked confidence. India would do well to introspect over their batting approach with none showing the temperament or skill to build an innings.

The focus on setting the tone with attacking play has its advantage, but the most crucial aspect of Test batting is building partnerships, which was missing in both the games. On Saturday, only Jaiswal and Shubman Gill made an effort to bat as a pair. After their 62-run second-wicket stand (59 balls) ended at the score of 96, India’s innings again collapsed.

Santner outshone R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The 32-year-old’s control and plans for each batter made him difficult to handle on a pitch affording some bounce. In the second innings, no other NZ bowler could make an impression. Santner was a one-man army.

In a lion-hearted display, he bowled unchanged for 29 overs, claiming six wickets for 104 runs to finish with a match-haul of 13/157. He kept stretching through this marathon spell, feeling the strain of his rare exertion in Tests, but didn’t give up. Of the 105.5 overs India’s two innings lasted, Santner alone bowled 48.3 overs to ensure a historic first series win.

Santner’s length, and control of speeds, made him lethal. When he hit the in-between spot, it was difficult for the batter to reach the pitch of the ball. India’s best players of spin, Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal, both fell to that delivery – Rohit caught at forward short-leg lunging at the ball and Jaiswal taken at slip against the one that held its line. Rohit had a poor game after falling for duck in the first innings.

Virat Kohli also had a forgettable match. Bowled off a full toss in the first innings, his spin woes continued as he was out lbw to Santner on 17. Kohli’s poor recent record against spin stretches to 21 of his past 25 dismissals at home.

To add to his dismay, he was also involved in Rishabh Pant’s run out. It wasn’t just a risky single to short third, he also didn’t judge the ball was going to Santner’s strong left arm and Pant (0) could not beat his throw. The dismissal snuffed the life out India’s chase. After Jaiswal’s (77 off 65 balls) effort, India needed a Pant special to maintain the momentum.

Rohit Sharma admitted New Zealand batters had a better gameplan. “The batters do understand that they failed to respond to that pressure, that challenge of playing on the pitch. The pitch was not bad at all, we just didn’t play well enough to get closer to that first innings score of theirs. And then with 100 runs behind, we always knew it was going to be challenging whatever score we had to get.”

Losing the series is a bitter pill to swallow, but it can also seriously dent India’s chances to qualify for the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.