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Santner Admits Powerplay Bowling Woes vs India Ahead of T20 WC Clash

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has highlighted his team's difficulty in containing India's aggressive top order during the recent T20I series, specifically in the powerplay overs. He believes that explosive starts in the first six overs will be a common strategy for all teams in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Santner emphasized the importance of taking early wickets with the ball to counteract this trend. The skipper also confirmed the entire New Zealand squad is fit and available for their opening World Cup match against Afghanistan.

Key Points: Santner on NZ's Bowling Challenge vs India Before T20 WC

  • NZ struggled vs India's powerplay batting
  • Fast starts are a World Cup theme
  • Focus on early wickets with the ball
  • Full squad fit for Afghanistan clash
2 min read

We were challenged with ball against India: New Zealand skipper Santner ahead of T20 WC vs Afghanistan

NZ skipper Mitchell Santner says controlling the powerplay with the ball was a key challenge against India, as his team preps for T20 WC vs Afghanistan.

"We were challenged with the ball, especially at the start. - Mitchell Santner"

Chennai, February 7

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has acknowledged that his side's inability to control the powerplay with the ball emerged as a key area of concern during the recent five-match T20I series against India, particularly as the team prepares for their upcoming group stage match against the Afghanistan in the ICC T20 World Cup.

The Mitchell Santner-led Black Caps will face the Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 8.

Ahead of their T20 World Cup opener, Santner, during the pre-match press conference, said that his side found it difficult to contain India's aggressive top-order batters early in the innings. The New Zealand skipper noted that fast starts in the power play are likely the template of every side in the World Cup.

"Yeah, I think, again, we were challenged with the ball, especially at the start. The way Kishan, Shivam a little bit as well, and obviously Abhishek came out in the power play. So I think that's going to be a theme throughout this World Cup is teams - if you get off to a flyer in the power play, you're going to put yourself in a pretty good position," Santer said, as quoted by ICC.

Santner added, "So I think on the flip side of the ball, it's how can you take two, three wickets early and really slow teams down, I think, depending on surfaces. I think Sri Lanka will play slightly different to India, you know the conditions as well. So, if you do get a flat one, it's identifying that with the bat, trying to cash in at the top, and then with the ball, it's still trying to take wickets as much as you can."

When Santner was asked about any injury scares ahead of the Afghanistan clash, the New Zealand skipper replied, "I think we do have all 15, which is nice because that warm-up game, we thought we were going to field nine at one stage. I think we're ready to go, which is good."

New Zealand are slotted in Group D alongside runers-up South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE in the T20 World Cup.

New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup:

Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
Interesting analysis from the NZ captain. The powerplay is becoming the most crucial phase in T20s. Afghanistan has some tricky bowlers though, especially Rashid. NZ will need a solid plan.
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Ananya R
Good to see Santner giving credit where it's due. Our young guns really took the attack to them. But honestly, our bowling in the middle overs still needs to be tighter. Can't rely on just Bumrah every time.
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Vikram M
The Chepauk pitch might not be as flat as the ones in the series against us. Afghanistan's spinners could be a handful there. NZ's batting against spin will be tested big time.
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Karthik V
Respectful criticism: While our batting was great, I feel the article and focus is too much on what NZ did wrong. What about our bowlers' performance? They also contained a strong NZ lineup in key moments. Balance is important yaar.
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Priya S
Exciting times for Indian cricket! The bench strength is showing. But let's not get carried away by one series. The World Cup is a different pressure cooker altogether. Fingers crossed! 🤞

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