IND vs NZ T20I: Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner made a special strategy before the series against India

By Arjit Kumar - Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026
Last Updated on Oct 21, 2026 11:13 PM

Photo: Mitchell Santner (ICC)

IND vs NZ T20I: Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner issues a warning ahead of the series against India, reveals his strategy

Ahead of the upcoming five-match T20 International series between New Zealand and India, Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner has unveiled his team's game plan. Santner believes that to succeed against the Indian side—a three-time T20 World Cup winner—his team will need to play extremely smart cricket and adapt quickly to the prevailing conditions.

Stopping India requires a clever approach

Speaking a day before the first T20 match in Christchurch, captain Santner emphasized that the first priority for both teams will be to gauge the nature of the pitches and the weather conditions. He remarked, "We know that when the pitch is flat and the boundaries are short, it becomes very difficult to stop India. Therefore, we must find new ways to contain them. While the larger boundaries in New Zealand might favor the bowlers, the pitches won't be the same everywhere."

Santner noted that the larger boundaries at Hagley Oval in Christchurch could be leveraged to their advantage; however, conditions at venues like Wellington, Auckland (Eden Park), and Hamilton will be quite different. He added that instead of focusing solely on spinning the ball aggressively, bowlers will need to be smart with their line and length, building pressure by bowling dot balls and restricting the opposition to singles.

Santner on the challenge posed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is making his return to the T20 format through this series. Praising Bhuvneshwar’s bowling, Santner acknowledged that he could prove to be a dangerous threat in New Zealand conditions.

Santner said, "I think Bhuvi will really enjoy these conditions in New Zealand. If there is even the slightest bit of assistance from the pitch, he will make the most of it. He possesses the skill to swing the ball even on the flat pitches of India, so he will pose a major challenge for us with the new ball."