‘Gone are the days of Ganguly, Laxman, Sachin’: India’s batting ‘misunderstanding’ wiped out by Doull as Santner triggers collapse

Mitchell Santner had a forgettable tour of Sri Lanka earlier this summer, returning with a single wicket in three innings. But on Friday, on a turning point in Pune, much like fellow defensive white-ball spinner Washington Sundar, Santner triggered a major batting collapse by picking four of the six wickets that fell on the second morning of the second Test match.

India were looking to take the lead in the first innings on Friday morning after defeating the hosts for 259 on the first day after they opted to bat first. However, in the opening hour, Santner sent Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli packing with his natural variation and slower deliveries compared to the Indian spinners on the first day. Later, just before lunch, he dismissed Sarfaraz Khan, who scored a majestic 150 for India in the Bengaluru Test, albeit in an inferior affair, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Four wickets from Santner and two from Glenn Phillips left India reeling at 107 for seven at lunch, still trailing by over 150 runs in the game.

The collapse in Pune caused by the New Zealand spinner has led to his compatriot and former cricketer Simon Doull, speaking to JioCinema at Lunch, debunking a major “misconception” about modern Indian batsmen as he feels they go against popular belief are only as good as any other dough in the world.

“I think there is a misconception around the world now that these modern Indian players can play spin better than anyone else. They are not. They are the same as everyone else in the world. Gone are the days of Ganguly, Gambhir, Laxman and Dravid. Sachin was so good against spin and the era before them. I believe that good spinners are just as capable of turning India around as Indian spinners are against good opposition batsmen. And as soon as they see a turnaround in IPL, they complain,” he said.

Santner completes his first five-wicket haul

Just after lunch, Santner took his first five-wicket haul in his Test career after dismissing Ravindra Jadeja. It was also his second in first-class cricket after 5/51 for Northern Districts vs Central Districts at Mount Maunganui in the 2022/23 season. He became the 16th New Zealand bowler to take a five-wicket haul in an innings in India.

He later dismissed Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah to complete a seven-wicket haul, similar to what Sundar did for India on the first day when India were folded for just 156. His 7 for 53 is now the second best bowling figures by a New Zealand bowler in India after Ajaz Patel’s historic ten-fer in 2021.