The Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) in a thrilling game to secure their postseason spot. Mitchell Santner, a Kiwi left-arm spinner who tangled a web around the DC hitters during the game, was one of the many outstanding performances from the Mumbai Indians team.
Taking three wickets for just 11 runs in his four overs, Santner finished the match with his best IPL numbers, a thrifty economy rate of just 2.8. The seasoned New Zealand player’s performance in the contest was also commended by former India pacer Varun Aaron. Aaron described how the surface’s slowness might be advantageous for a bowler like Santner, who is renowned for trapping the top hitters with his deft variations.
The 2022 IPL champion added that Mitchell Santner is being used more effectively with the Mumbai Indians than he was with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
On Time Out show, Varun Aaron stated, “When Will Jacks bowled, I thought that if he was going to turn the ball this much, Santner would just run rigs around the batsman. Santner is a quality bowler, just one of those underutilised bowlers, underutilised players at CSK, never really had a long run, but he’s just showing what he’s worth the moment he stepped into Mumbai Indians’ colours.”
His true talent is that kind of change of pace, which is a batting nightmare on a slow surface: Moody, -Tom Moody
Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody was another expert on the Time Out show. He shared his thoughts on Santner’s abilities and how difficult it is for batsmen to attack him on a challenging surface, as was the case in Wednesday’s MI vs. DC match. Moody disclosed that Santner’s ability to flip the ball is not what makes him dangerous for the hitters, but rather his change of pace and variations.
The beauty of Mitchell Santner is that, on a surface like that, the pitch’s slowness and his ability to alter the ball’s arrival at various speeds without the batsman’s understanding pose more of a threat than the turn. On the same show, Moody stated, “That’s what makes him lethal; his subtle change of pace without any real sign or cue for the batter is his key.”
It’s not like he’s spun the odd one, but let’s face it, Mitchell is not a big turner of the ball; he’s never been a big turner of the ball. That’s why he’s never really grabbed hold of a Test cricket and run with it. Yes, he had a good series here recently when New Zealand beat India in a three-Test-match series. But his real skill is that sort of change of pace, and when you’ve got a slow surface, that’s a batting nightmare,” Moody concluded.
