Mitchell Santner, the white-ball skipper of New Zealand, is hoping that Daryl Mitchell will replicate his performances from the ODI series in the Twenty20 Internationals against India. With 352 runs in three games at a strike rate of 110.34, Mitchell emerged as the top scorer for both teams.
Santner, who was unable to play in the ODIs due to his injury recovery, praised Mitchell’s skill at playing and navigating the spinners.
“Daryl had a hard time at first fighting against spin, but now you can see the results of his labour. He’s doing a great job with spin. In ODIs, he has excellent control during the middle overs. According to India Today, Santner said at the pre-match press conference, “Hopefully, he can do something similar in T20Is.”
Santner also discussed New Zealand’s preference for performing in India.
He added that the series will be an ideal prelude to the next T20 World Cup and enjoyed the chance to play against a top-tier opponent.
“Obviously, that provides us an advantage. We enjoy playing both in India and in India. We’re eager about this series because we’ve recently had some success versus them in various formats. Naturally, winning the series is the goal, but it’s also important to get ready for the T20 World Cup. The goal is to play a strong squad under circumstances that are comparable to those we will encounter throughout the tournament. The series is going to be fantastic. It’s about playing a fantastic team in familiar surroundings at the T20 World Cup,” he continued.
The ODI series was won by New Zealand 1-2. This was their first-ever bilateral ODI series victory against India in India, making it a historic series victory. One of the standout performers to anticipate is Mitchell. On January 21, the series-opening match is set to take place in Nagpur. In India, the Kiwis have never prevailed in a Twenty20 International series.
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