With a thrifty economy rate of just 2.8 and three wickets for just 11 runs in his four overs, Mitchell Santner finished the match with his best IPL numbers.
Following an amazing victory over the Delhi Capitals (DC), the Mumbai Indians (MI) have secured their spot in the playoffs. The Mumbai Indians team, which boasts Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who tangled a web around the DC hitters during the game, had a number of outstanding performances.
Varun Aaron, a former pacer for India, also gave the seasoned New Zealand player high marks for his performance during the game. Aaron described how a bowler like Mitchell Santner, who is renowned for trapping the top batters with his deft variations, would benefit from the surface’s slowness. Mitchell Santneris being used more effectively with the Mumbai Indians than he was with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), according to the 2022 IPL champion.
Varun Aaron stated on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, “When Will Jacks bowled, I thought, if Will Jacks is going to turn the ball this much, Santner is just going to 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: 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.”
Let’s face it, Mitchell isn’t a huge ball turner and never has been. It’s not like he’s spun the odd one. He has never really seized a Test cricket and ran with it because of this. Yes, he had a successful series here recently when India lost to New Zealand in three Test matches. But that kind of change of pace is his true talent, and it’s a batting nightmare on a slow surface, Moody said.
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