Santner takes 13 to hand India their first home Test series defeat since 2012

Despite a sore side, Santner missed just one over from his end since he started bowling in the first innings. He was instrumental in intercepting India’s audacious bid for a chase of 359, which was fuelled by Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s 77 off 65 that took India to 96 for 1 at better than a run a ball. Santner had little support from the other end as Ajaz Patel‘s ordinary series continued and Glenn Phillips mixed easy deliveries with good ones.

Santner kept beating the batters in the air with his dip and changes in pace and angle, and registered his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket in the process. It was an absolutely necessary intervention because India were on an almighty roll after triggering a 5 for 24 collapse with the ball and then a sensational start to the chase by Jaiswal. Things became so desperate that New Zealand burnt two reviews on Jaiswal.

In the morning, needing a perfect session to prevent the door from being slammed in their face, India started with the experienced duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin instead of the form bowler Washington Sundar, who had taken 11 of the 15 New Zealand wickets up to that point.

It didn’t start well for India. The first ball from Ashwin produced an edge that Rohit Sharma didn’t go for. Tom Blundell and Phillips added a quick 33 to the overnight score. That Jadeja turned the ball big at a pace in the mid-90s was only a promising sign for New Zealand. Even full balls were difficult to hit out as Santner and Ajaz discovered with catches in the deep.

Before that, though, India needed a breakthrough, which arrived with a natural variation that went past Blundell’s inside edge. That it was Jadeja’s first wicket of the match emphasised where India lost the match: a rare outbowling of two of their greatest match-winners, who had brought them 18 consecutive series wins at home.

It was no surprise that India came out swinging with the bat after they had been pinned to the crease in the first innings. Jaiswal drove at a wide length ball first up, but the edge fell just short of gully. It didn’t stop him from flicking the second ball for a six, the first of his three, which took him level on the record for most sixes in a calendar year. He employed both the sweep and the charge at the spinners to mess with the bowlers’ lengths. The margin for error was almost non-existent as he hit out at Tim Southee, Ajaz and Phillips. His extra-cover drive for a six off Phillips on this pitch was a jaw-dropping shot.

It is not often that New Zealand spinners bowl them to a Test win on their own. Here Santner was being asked to do it on his own having never taken more than three wickets in a Test innings before this Test. He was the only one who maintained some control during the Jaiswal onslaught.

Santner got the better of Rohit first as he got the ball to dip on him and the extra bounce got the bat-pad dismissal. Shubman Gill, who had got stuck on the crease with Jaiswal in the first innings, came out attacking, and the two added 62 in under ten overs to leave New Zealand nervous.

It’s not that the pitch had eased out. The intent of the batters left the bowlers under intense pressure, and every small error was being punished. In essence, though, all the spinners had to do was draw consistent forward-defensive prods from the batters without getting driven. The moment Santner started doing that, he started creating chances. Then he bowled flatter while still being full, pushing Gill back and taking the edge with the turn for the first of two sharp catches for Daryl Mitchell at slip.

The next one was Jaiswal, a classic turning-pitch dismissal. The first part of it was to find a spot that Jaiswal could neither go back to nor drive from. Then the first ball turned big to beat his inside edge, and the next one went straight on to take the edge for Mitchell. Not a mean wicket to bring up your first ten-wicket haul.

Rishabh Pant then paid the price for not saying no. Virat Kohli played one behind square and started running. The ball had gone to Santner’s left. Pant had every right to send Kohli back, but he ran through. Not even a dive was enough to get him in.

It was like Santner didn’t have a side strain to nurse. Between overs, he would keep stretching, but swooped in on balls in his vicinity and you couldn’t take the ball away from him. He made Kohli play back to a fullish ball, which trapped him lbw. Sarfaraz Khan fell to a slow teasing ball that turned and hit off stump.

Phillips finally got on the board when Will Young pulled off a stunning catch at short leg to send back India’s hero of the match, Washington. Ashwin and Jadeja looked the most comfortable batting pair as they added 39 for the eighth wicket, teasing India with the question of what if they hadn’t lost so many wickets by the time the older softer ball stopped behaving wildly.

It was Santner who broke the partnership by luring Ashwin into a drive and taking the edge to Mitchell. The wait for the final wickets was frustrating but it came through outfield catches off Ajaz, who ended up protecting his record for the best match figures for a visiting bowler in India.