New Zealand took a commanding lead over India at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, ending Day 2 with a 301-run lead. The Indian batting lineup crumbled under the pressure of the spinweb laid by Mitchell Santner, which played a pivotal role in dismissing India for just 156 runs.
India began the day at 16/1, having lost skipper Rohit Sharma on the first day. Young batter Shubman Gill, who replaced Rohit, added 30 runs in a promising 49-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, Santner soon had his first breakthrough by trapping Gill in front of the stumps. Virat Kohli also fell cheaply, bowled out for just a single run by Santner’s tight left-arm spin.
Mitchell Santner Sets the Right Web to Trap Indian Team Cheaply
Jaiswal, who had managed to reach 30 runs and crossed the 1,000-run mark for the calendar year, was dismissed by Glenn Phillips, who followed it up by taking Rishabh Pant’s wicket for 18. Santner then returned to pick up several middle-order wickets, removing Sarfaraz Khan for 11, Ravichandran Ashwin for 4, and finally, top-scorer Ravindra Jadeja, who made 38. Santner claimed an impressive seven-wicket haul, wrapping up India’s innings by dismissing tailenders Akash Deep for 6 and Jasprit Bumrah for a duck.
Mitchell Santner had a fantastic day with the ball. He bowled really well and took career-best figures of 7 for 53. He tricked the Indian batsmen with his spin and made it very difficult for them to score runs. His bowling performance was a big reason why New Zealand was able to take a big lead in the match. Santner showed that he is a very good bowler and can be a match-winner for his team.
New Zealand, now with a substantial lead, began their second innings confidently. Openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway provided a steady start until Conway was dismissed by Washington Sundar for 17 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin provided support from the other end, ending Will Young’s innings at 23, while Sundar continued his form, removing Rachin Ravindra for 9. Sundar also claimed Daryl Mitchell, sending him back for 18 runs.
Following these setbacks, Latham played an outstanding knock of 86, further extending New Zealand’s lead before Sundar finally dismissed him. By stumps, New Zealand had reached 198/5 with Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips unbeaten on 30 and 9 runs, respectively. Their growing lead of over 300 runs has left India facing an uphill task as they prepare for Day 3.
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