IND vs NZ, 2nd Test: Santner wreaks havoc to push India to the backseat on Day 2

Mitchell Santner led the rout for New Zealand with a seven-wicket haul as a strong Indian batting line-up was bundled out for 156 in the first innings.

Santner congratulated by his teammates as he walks back to the pavilion after taking seven wickets against India in their second Test, in Pune. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU

Virat Kohli walked out to bat on a warm and sunny Friday morning amid thunderous applause by the spectators at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

They chanted the superstar’s name, cheered for him and perhaps, hoped Kohli would emulate his marathon unbeaten 254 he scored against South Africa at the same venue in 2019.

However, this time around, his stay at the crease lasted just eight balls. On a rare occasion, he missed a full-toss off Mitchell Santner that rattled his middle stump. While there was pin-drop silence at the venue, a stunned Kohli took a few seconds to react before walking back to the pavilion, shaking his head in disbelief.

Virat Kohli bowled out by Mitchell Santner during India vs New Zealand Test match at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU

And, with Santner leading the rout with a seven-wicket haul (seven for 53), a strong Indian batting line-up was bundled out for 156, providing a crucial first-innings lead to New Zealand in the second Test.

At the end of the second day’s play, the visiting team took absolute control of the game, riding on captain Tom Latham’s 86 off 133 balls, to be at 198 for five and extend the lead to 301 and chase its dreams of winning a historic Test series on Indian soil.

AS IT HAPPENED: India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test Day 2 Highlights

While comeback man Washington Sundar continued his dream run and added four more wickets to his kitty in the second essay, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja fired it in, conceding plenty of runs, when bowling slow was clearly rewarding. That allowed New Zealand batters to flex their muscles.

While the pitch did play tricks, it was also a case of poor execution by the Indian batters. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill started off smoothly, dealing with boundaries, despite Santner opening the proceedings for New Zealand.

Yashasvi Jaiswal hits a boundary during the second Test between India and New Zealand, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU

But 42 minutes into the game, Santner removed Gill plumb, and in no time, India lost two more key wickets in Kohli and Jaiswal. With Rishabh Pant around, it was important for Jaiswal to rebuild the innings, but that did not happen as he departed after edging one to slip off a Glenn Phillips delivery.

With the bounce and turn on offer, it was a challenge for the Indian batters to fight back from such a situation and as Phillips and Santner tightened their grip, wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

Despite starting off with a boundary, Pant failed to get going as a Phillips half-tracker kept low and rattled the stumps. Sarfaraz Khan, coming on the back of a magnificent 150 in the first Test, looked nervy, got a reprieve and eventually fell to Santner.

On a day when nothing went in its favour, India lost six wickets for just 96 runs in the first session, and there wasn’t any miraculous comeback in the post-lunch session either. With Jadeja and Washington left as only recognised batters, the former did hit a few big shots off Ajaz Patel, but it did not last long as his campaign was halted by Santner.

Ravindra Jadeja dismissed leg-before by Santner during second India vs New Zealand Test, in Pune, Maharashtra. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU

As the seasoned left-arm spinner furrowed the tail, dismissing Akash Deep and Bumrah in quick intervals, he went on to register the second-best figures by a New Zealand spinner in an innings in Tests, only behind Ajaz’s 10 for 119 at the Wankhede Stadium, three years ago.

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Earlier this month, during the tour of Sri Lanka, Santner claimed just one wicket over three innings, raising questions over his effectiveness on the sub-continent surfaces.

However, things changed drastically over a fortnight as he returned to form and made most of the conditions when it mattered the most for his team.