Mitchell Santner praises Tilak Varma’s shift from No. 3 to finisher after Christchurch T20I
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised Tilak Varma after India (181/6 in 19.5 overs) beat New Zealand (180/5) by four wickets in the second T20I in Christchurch on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Santner also singled out debutant Naman Dhir for praise following the match.
Santner said he had observed Varma’s development during their time together at Mumbai Indians, noting the contrast between a No. 3 role and the demands of batting later in the innings. "When he first started, he was batting three. And it's a slightly different role. So I guess the middle order role depends on how you operate in the middle and in the death phase. I've seen it for a couple of years now at Mumbai. He's very good," Santner said after the match.
Tilak played a key role in India's chase of 209, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls. India were under pressure after Santner picked up four wickets, but the left-hander kept the chase alive before Nitish Kumar Reddy joined him at the crease. The pair added an unbeaten 69 off 30 balls to take India home and give them a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Santner also praised Naman Dhir, who made his India debut in Christchurch and claimed three wickets. "And same with Naman Dhir. I think the way he's come in and just looks so free from the start. Tilak took his time a little bit today, but managed the chase very well with Reddy at the end. If you can finish off games as a finisher, you're doing a pretty good job. So, I think it was a great knock from those last three, especially tonight," he added.
Santner’s own four-wicket haul had put New Zealand in a strong position during the match, but he highlighted the impact of fielding lapses on the result. "If you look at the skills of both teams, it's been very close and it's come down to some small moments in the field. I think especially us, the back end of that chase tonight. I think we're in a very good position, a couple of drop catches, missed fields. And it's the winning or losing of the game," he said.
He reiterated that the series has been tightly contested and that small moments had swung the second game. "From a skills perspective, we've been playing some very good cricket. It's just some small moments where, if you seize those moments, we could have easily been, I guess, 2-0 up as well," Santner said.
New Zealand will look to bounce back in the third T20I in Wellington, while India will aim to extend their lead and move closer to sealing the series.