Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 guided India to a four-wicket win in the second T20I
Mitchell Santner said he had watched Tilak Varma’s growth closely at Mumbai Indians
The New Zealand captain praised Tilak Varma’s shift from No. 3 to a middle-order finisher
Mitchell Santner praised Tilak Varma's growth into a finisher after the left-hander's unbeaten 51 steered India to a four-wicket win in the second T20I. Santner, who returned figures of 4/21, said he had watched that progress closely in the Mumbai Indians dressing room.
Tilak's innings carried added weight because Santner had seen him in a different role in the IPL. The New Zealand captain said the left-hander had moved from batting at No. 3 to handling the middle overs and the death overs and had now become a dependable closer.
Tilak's Finisher Growth
Santner linked Tilak's knock to that shift in role. "When he (Tilak) first started, he was batting three. And it's a slightly different role. So I guess the middle order role depends on how you operate in the middle and in the death phase. I've seen it for a couple of years now at Mumbai. He's very good," Santner said after New Zealand's defeat.
He also praised Naman Dhir's approach at the crease. Santner pointed to the freedom with which Dhir has started his innings and linked that to India's control in the chase.
Nitish Kumar Reddy also drew praise for his role late in the innings. "And same with Naman Dhir. I think the way he's come in and just looks so free from the start. Tilak took his time a little bit today, but managed the chase very well with Reddy at the end. If you can finish off games as a finisher, you're doing a pretty good job. So, I think it was a great knock from those last three, especially tonight," he added.
Fielding Costly Moments
Santner was clear about where New Zealand lost ground. He said dropped catches and missed fields in the closing stages of India's chase turned the match.
"If you look at the skills of both teams, it's been very close and it's come down to some small moments in the field. I think especially us, the back end of that chase tonight. I think we're in a very good position, a couple of drop catches, missed fields. And it's the winning or losing of the game," he said.
He felt the margins across the two matches had been narrow. Santner said New Zealand had played good cricket in both games but had failed to grab key moments when they came.
Dropped chances hurt. So did no-balls. "From a skills perspective, we've been playing some very good cricket. It's just some small moments where, if you seize those moments, we could have easily been, I guess, 2-0 up as well," he said.
Wellington Review Ahead
New Zealand now head to Wellington for the next match. Santner said the side would review the defeat, look closely at the missed chances and still hold on to the positives from the first two games.
The visitors will travel to Wellington for the next match, where windy conditions could again make fielding difficult.
"Again, I think it's the result. But again, we'll reflect on tonight. There was a lot of good stuff again, as there was in the first game. And there's some small stuff that I wouldn't say let us down, but it can change games quickly," he said.
