IND v NZ: Santner takes career-best 7 for 53, joins Daniel Vettori in elite list

India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test: Mitchell Santner picked up his maiden five-wicket haul and finished with seven as India were bundled out for 156 in the first innings. Santner became only the fifth BlackCaps spinner to take five in an innings in India.

In Short

• Mitchell Santner took seven wickets in a sensational spell in Pune
• Santner became the 5th New Zealand spinner to take a fifer in India
• India were skittled out for 156 in their first innings in the 2nd Test

Mitchell Santner produced a masterclass, registering his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket, as he played a key role in New Zealand's dominance over India in the second Test in Pune. Santner finished with seven wickets, conceding just 53 runs as India failed the trial by spin at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday, October 25.

Mitchell Santner became only the fifth New Zealand spinner to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket in India. He also registered the second-best bowling figures by a New Zealand spinner in India after Ajaz Patel's historic 10-wicket haul in an innings in Mumbai in 2021.

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Santner ran riot on Friday morning, picking up four wickets and added three more to his tally in the second session as India were bundled out for 156 in just 45.3 overs. Ravindra Jadeja, with his counter-attacking 38, was the only batter who managed to dominate the New Zealand spinners.

India paid the price for being reckless and not trying to respect the conditions enough for the second successive time in a Test match. India were skittled out for 46, their lowest Test total at home, in the first innings of the first Test in Bengaluru under grey skies at the M Chinnaswammy Stadium a week back.

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Mitchell Santner reaped the rewards for his consistency and ability to be fearless and float it up to the Indian batters. It all began when he broke the overnight partnership, getting Shubman Gill out LBW for 30.

Santner then got the big prize -- the wicket of Virat Kohli when the star batter tried to play a cross-batted shot to a fuller-length delivery. Santner also got the wickets of Sarfaraz Khan and R Ashwin as India lost six wickets for just 91 runs in the first session.

He continued to haunt India by ending Ravindra Jadeja's rearguard action. Santner hit the right areas on the pitch, allowing the surface to do its job. India batters had very little idea about the odd-balls that kept straight as they kept playing for the turn. A couple of Santner's deliveries also kept low.

In an emphatic style, Santner wrapped up the Indian innings, picking the final wicket of Jasprit Bumrah in the second session.