New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner is ready to recreate the quiet atmosphere he encountered in Manchester during the 2019 World Cup clash against India. With the semi-final showdown scheduled at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on November 15, Santner is hopeful that the Blackcaps can impose early silence on the home crowd.
India’s track record against New Zealand in ICC events has been less than stellar, with only four victories in 13 encounters. Recalling the memorable win in Manchester, where New Zealand reduced India to five for three, Santner envisions a similar scenario in Mumbai. He believes that achieving a pin-drop silence at Wankhede would indicate success.
“We’re doing well if we can hear a pin drop and enjoy some silence,” Santner told Stuff.co.nz.
Recognizing the formidable form of the Indian batting order, especially with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma surpassing 500 runs in the campaign, Santner emphasized the importance of early wickets to halt India’s momentum.
“We’ll check the pitch and observe, but we’re aware of the power of their top six, top seven. It appears that the key to slowing them down is by taking wickets early on, that’s a crucial aspect of the game,” he added.
Reflecting on the victory against India four years ago, Santner described it as surreal, highlighting the impact of the MS Dhoni run-out on changing the game’s dynamics.
“It felt surreal. The incredible start we had quieted the crowd a bit,” he said.
“I was stationed at deep point off Lockie Ferguson, and even though they were still in the game, MS Dhoni hit one over me for six, which was quite remarkable.”
“The fans thought, ‘These guys are going to win this,’ but then the run-out of Dhoni by a direct hit from Martin Guptill happened, changing the dynamics, and once again, we silenced them,” he concluded.