Over the past week, at the New Zealand nets, it has been a near- impossible task for the support staff to take the ball from Mitchell Santner’s hands. Even when the Black Caps were busy in a game of football as part of their warm-up drills, Santner never missed a moment to get into his bowling action. Every now and then, he would head to the square, take a close look at the pitch, before heading to the practice nets, where he has invariably been the first one to have a bowl. The Chepauk was a familiar place for Santner. He has been a part of the Chennai Super Kings set-up since 2018, but due to Ravindra Jadeja’s presence, the 31-year-old has featured in only three matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Even over all, he has played only 15 matches for the five-time champions, spending most of his time at the IPL warming the bench. Having grown up playing cricket in Hamilton, Santner isn’t new to warming benches. In conditions where playing even one spinner is considered a luxury, Santner knows what it takes to make every opportunity that comes his way count. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ICC (@icc) “It was awesome to be back in Chennai and get some games here in front of loyal fans,” Santner told The Indian Express. “Of course, I haven’t played many games here, but still these are familiar conditions. One thing I have learnt from my time here is that in India, each pitch is different, and you have to adjust accordingly,” said Santner, who on Wednesday became only the second spinner from New Zealand to take 100 ODI wickets. With an action in which the non-bowling arm tends to be stiff at the point of release because of a back injury he sustained as a teenager, Santner is a master when it comes to keeping it simple. It is the reason why he is leading the wicket-taking charts at this World Cup with 11 scalps, including a five-wicket haul. This unerring accuracy of Santner is what makes New Zealand’s attack more rounded and balanced at the World Cup. With a potent pace battery around, it is Santner who is capable of providing the much-needed spark in spin-friendly conditions. In ODIs, only Mohmmad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are more economical than Santner, who gives away only 4.85 runs an over. Most of it again comes down to his ability to hit the same spot ball after ball, over after over, denying the batsmen any sort of room to work with. And it is an aspect that Santner believes will be of good use in these conditions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ICC (@icc) “I guess it comes down to playing in New Zealand, where it's pretty flat and there's not a lot of spin, so you are kind of used to bowling the heavy lengths with the odd change of pace being the key. And that’s how I learnt my craft and New Zealanders do try to mix up the pace, but keep it on the same length. So it's no different over here. Obviously, if there's a little bit more spin, you might have more of an attacking role. But nothing really changes,” he said. Kiwi banker With only four fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle during the second Powerplay making it all the more challenging for wrist-spinners, at this World Cup, finger spinners are providing teams the control which allows them to attack with fast bowlers at the other end. Santner, for instance, has been partnering with Lockie Ferguson in the middle overs, where he has to switch between holding up an end and going for wickets. “When there is a little bit of spin, finger spinners can be quite accurate and put a bit of pressure on the batters through consistent lengths. And if there is a bit of spin, they can be quite challenging. So if there is a bit of spin, it makes our job a little bit easier. Just try and hit a good length and spin it. When it's flat, you have to change your pace, like we do back home,” Santner said of his modus operandi in the subcontinent. While conditions have been spinner-friendly in Chennai, at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, on flat decks, Santner still managed to find control. Having travelled to all the venues as part of the IPL bandwagon, Santner knows he has to have different plans for each surface. The all-rounder believes, bowling on flat decks back home, especially in long formats, has tuned him for the tough battle, where building pressure through dot balls is the only way out for him. “As a spinner in New Zealand, bounce is probably one of the things to fall back on, if there is no spin. So kind of getting over the top of the seam has been quite handy. And then trying to build pressure through dots rather than just looking to beat the edge. If there's not a lot of assistance, the only way you can get wickets is through building pressure. And for that, you obviously need to keep landing on the same length with the odd variation – whether it is side-spin or over-spin. So from there, when you come to India, where there is a bit more assistance, you just have to keep it even more simple,” Santner explains before going on for another session at the nets.
