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The second Test match between India and New Zealand in Pune concluded with a resounding victory for the visitors, ending a remarkable 12-year run of unbeaten home series for India. The architect of this historic triumph was New Zealand's left-arm spinner, Mitchell Santner, who delivered a performance for the ages, claiming 13 wickets across the match. This dominant display by Santner not only sealed a series win for New Zealand but also brought India's long streak of dominance at home to an abrupt end.
Santner's match figures of 13 for 158 included a career-best 7-53 in the first innings, where he bowled with exceptional control and accuracy on a dry and spinning Pune pitch. His ability to exploit the conditions and extract bounce and turn made him a nightmare for the Indian batsmen, who struggled to cope with his variations and deliveries. In the second innings, Santner continued his relentless assault, claiming another six wickets to complete a truly remarkable performance. The Indian batting unit was seemingly mesmerized by Santner's mastery of the art of spin bowling, unable to find any consistent answers to his deliveries.
The foundation for New Zealand's victory was laid in the first innings, where they managed to post a formidable score despite a late collapse against Washington Sundar. The visitors had initially been put on the back foot by Sundar, who claimed a career-best 7-59, but fifties from Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra provided some crucial stability. However, the Indian bowlers eventually bounced back, restricting New Zealand to a total of 259. In response, India's batting crumbled against Santner's guile, failing to build any significant partnerships. The visitors' bowlers were then able to take advantage of a shaky Indian batting line-up, wrapping up their first innings for a mere 156 runs. This gave New Zealand a commanding lead of 103 runs, a substantial advantage on a pitch offering significant assistance to the spinners.
The second innings saw New Zealand build a further lead, thanks to a strong performance from their opening batsman, Tom Latham, who scored 86 runs. India's spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who had been the backbone of their home dominance in recent years, struggled to contain New Zealand's batsmen. The visitors eventually declared their second innings on 255, setting a daunting target of 359 runs for India. Despite a spirited effort from Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 77 runs, India's batting unit once again succumbed to Santner's mastery. Santner continued to dismantle the Indian batting line-up, ultimately leading to a 112-run victory for New Zealand.
This series victory will go down in history as a monumental achievement for the New Zealand team. They had not won a series in India since 2003 and their triumph in Pune is a testament to their strength and resilience. Meanwhile, India will be left to reflect on their first home series defeat since 2012. The team's struggles against Santner exposed some weaknesses in their batting line-up, particularly their inability to cope with spin on home soil. As the team moves forward, they will need to address these issues to ensure that their home dominance is restored in the future.
Source: Santner takes 13 as India drop first home series since '12