Black Caps captain Mitchell Santner pivots to T20 victory against India

In Ranchi, India: New Zealand 176-6 (Daryl Mitchell 59 out of 30, Devon Conway 52 out of 35, Finn Allen 35 out of 23; Washington Sundar 2-22 out of 4) beat India 155-9 (Washington Sundar 50 of 28, Suryakumar Yadav 47 of 34; Mitchell Santner 2-11 of 4, Michael Bracewell 2-31 of 4, Lockie Ferguson 2-33 of 4) with 21 runs.

Forget the brutal whitewash of the ODI series. A change of format has been accompanied by white-ball joy for the Black Caps on Indian soil.

The New Zealanders defeated India by 21 runs at Ranchi on Saturday morning (NZT), as Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway led the Black Caps to a commanding 176-6 for half a century after being sent in.

Captain Mitchell Santner then gave a clinic against a dangerous batting setup, taking 2-11 with his left arm tweakers on a surface that could bounce and turn.

As well as taking the all-important wicket from devastating opener Shubman Gill, the man who brutalized the Kiwis during the ODI series, Santner bowled a girl on the power play and proved virtually unplayable.

On a day when the Kiwi spinners – Santner, Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi – took a combined 5-72 from 11 overs, India were always on their heels after crashing to 15-3, just 19 deliveries in their pursuit.

The early flurry of wickets included Bracewell bowling left-handed opener Ishan Kishan with the type of delivery off-spinners dream of – throwing on center and leg, spinning past the blade and hitting off the stump.

Gill’s dismissal sucked the wind out of the sane crowd, who lost their collective minds every time the Indian great MS Dhoni – sitting in a box on the floor – flashed on the big screen.

You couldn’t write off India though, not with the top ranked T20 batsman in the world – Suryakumar Yadav – still in the middle.

He also made things interesting, at least for a while, whacking 47 of 34 before slashing a Sodhi delivery down Finn Allen’s throat.

There were a few more anxious moments for the Black Caps, including when Mark Chapman made a meal of a chance to catch Deepak Hooda at Bracewell’s bowling halfway point, but it turned out to be inexpensive.

India won’t just regret their crippling start to the chase.

The last over of the first innings will haunt them, especially the man who delivered it, left arm Arshdeep Singh.

After all, he was the first to get a no ball and got three consecutive sixes from Mitchell, who took 27 of them on his way to a speedy 59 off 30 balls.

It brought momentum towards New Zealand and they were much needed runs after the Black Caps lost the previous two overs 3-10 and were ready to bottle the fine platform they had set up for a late wave.

Conway, who only conceded three balls in the first five overs as Allen (35 from 23) scored some overdue runs, continued his fine form and conceded 35 balls en route to his ninth Twenty20 half ton.

The southpaw and Glenn Phillips put up 60 for the third wicket, before Mitchell’s last over hitting proved the difference.

The big moment

You just couldn’t write off India, not while Yadav was in the thick of it. But when the No. 1 ranked T20 batsman in the world slashed a Sodhi delivery into Allen’s goo and India were cut to 83-4 after 11.4 overs, the Black Caps were on their way to a taste of some white-ball joy after a ferocious ODI series.

Best with the bat

Boy, did the Black Caps need Mitchell’s late offense and fourth T20 50. Three sixes – two of which were glorious loft drives – and a four in the final proved the difference.

The best with the ball

Mitchell Santner. Two wickets, only 11 runs conceded from four overs and a maiden on the power play. Always a master at mixing the pace of his deliveries, he was aided by a spinning surface, which players from both sides admitted to being surprised after the match.

The big picture

Cheeky during the recent ODI series, the Black Caps suddenly have a chance to win a rare white-ball series on Indian soil on Monday morning.