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India's batting woes continued in the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. The hosts were bundled out for a meager 156 runs in their first innings, handing New Zealand a significant 103-run lead which visitors further took it to 301 by the end of Day 2.
Mitchell Santner causes India's batting collapse
Mitchell Santner was the star of the show for the Kiwis, picking up a career-best 7 wickets for 53 runs. His impressive performance mirrored that of Indian spinner Washington Sundar, who had claimed a seven-wicket haul on the previous day. Santner didn't let the Indian batters settle for long with his spin wizardry as he went on to bag the prized wickets of Shubman Gill (30), Virat Kohli (1), Sarfaraz Khan (11), Ravindra Jadeja (38) and then wiped out the tail with R Ashwin (4), Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah's scalps.
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'Just watched Washington Sundar, so I thought will do that'
After putting India on the brink of potential defeat with his spin artistry on Day2, Santner revealed how he masterminded India's batting collapse by taking cue from Washington Sundar's bowling.
"[How to bowl on this pitch?] We spoke about it the other day. Tried to find the right speed. It changed as the game went on. I just tried to keep the speed to 90. And tried to keep it there. Tried to change the speed later on, but it was good. [Going wide of the crease] I just tried to play with angles. Tried to vary it up. Just watched Washy (Washington Sundar) and that looked cool so I thought will do that," Santner said at the post-day conversation with the broadcasters.
Santner also talked about how does it feel to bowl in Indian pitches and also drew parallel with the conditions they get at their own courtyard.
"[Bowling in India] The pitches spin which is nice. We don't get that back home. There is assistance for spin, which is nice. [On batting here] It is doing a little bit, not easy," the star spinner added.
Santner also went on to credit the Kiwi batters for building the partnerships in the second innings.
"It is a great feeling. To put ourselves in a position to potentially win a Test was cool. The batters did well, wasn't easy and buildings the partnerships was key," Santner concluded.
New Zealand, buoyed by a strong opening partnership between Devon Conway (17) and Tom Latham (86), continued their dominance in the second innings. However, India's Washington Sundar (4/56) made quick inroads, dismissing key batters like Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell. Ravichandran Ashwin also chipped in with a wicket. Tom Latham's resilient 86 extended New Zealand's lead beyond 300 runs. But his dismissal, along with that of other batsmen, left the Kiwis at 198/5 at the end of Day 2, giving India a challenging task to bowl them out on Day 3. New Zealand, with a substantial lead, are poised to clinch a historic series win.
