Santner: Recent Wins Give NZ Edge Over India Ahead of T20I Series

New Zealand will be coming into the T20I series after an impressive 2-1 series win over the Shubman Gill-led Team India in the three-match ODI series. Led by Michael Bracewell, New Zealand put up a special fight to wn the series against an Indian team that saw ODI giants Rohit Sharna and Virat Kohli return. The Kiwis, despite missing key New Zealand players like Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Matt Henry, and others, registered their first-ever ODI series on Indian soil.

Notably, New Zealand also registered a historic 3-0 Test series clean sweep over India back in 2024.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Nagpur T20I, Santner said that the team enjoys playing India in India, and the recent successes do give his team an advantage. He emphasised that the series is both about winning and preparing well for the T20 World Cup 2026 by competing against a strong team in similar conditions, calling it an exciting and valuable series.

"It obviously gives us an edge. We love playing India, and we love playing in India. We have had some recent successes against India in different formats. We are looking forward to the series. The aim, first of all, is obviously to win the series but also have good enough preparation leading into the T20 World Cup 2026. It's about playing a great team in similar conditions to what we are gonna face in the World Cup. In terms of preparations for the series, it's going to be agreat series," Santner said.

Notably, Santner gave a 'Player of the Match' performance against India in the group-stage match of the T20 World Cup 2016, hosted in India, and helped New Zealand defeat the hosts by 47 runs in a low-scorer.

Santner reflected fondly on his match-winning performance against India in the 2016 T20 World Cup, calling it a special memory from his first tour of India. He praised the passionate crowds and fan support, saying players love touring India.

"I hope it's similar to what it was 10 years ago. But I can't imagine it is. It was great memories. I guess it was my first trip to India. Not really knowing what to expect, but, you know, turning up, playing in front of 50,000 people in the World Cup, it was awesome. And it's been the same every time we've come back. And everyone loves touring here. The fans are amazing. Every time you get to play in front of a massive crowd, it's what we do. It's why we play, I guess. So, yeah, but I'd imagine the pitch will be pretty good going into tomorrow," he said.

New Zealand have a long history of upsetting India, both in ICC tournaments and in bilateral series. Santner said New Zealand's success against India comes from experience gained through frequent tours, understanding Indian conditions quickly, and adapting to different pitches.

However, he also noted that while recent results, including the ODIs, were positive, the T20 series is a fresh challenge against a different Indian team.

"I think it's probably a combination of things. I think every time you come to India, you gain experience against a good team in all formats. Different conditions to what we're used to back home. But I think everyone who's been here, whether it was the Test Series, One Day Series, apart from a couple of debutantes that have been here before, kind of knows what to expect. And the teams that can understand conditions and wickets the quickest usually have a pretty good chance. I think just the amount of times we've been able to come in and play in India, try to perform in this country. It's been good. And I guess we've had some recent success. But I guess it starts again now. Obviously, the ODIs were good. A great result. But the T20 Series is a different series against a different team," Santner said during the pre-match presser.

- ANI