Mount Maunganui, Nov 15 (IANS) New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner believes his side would have got home in the fifth ODI at the Bay Oval had their batters stayed together for longer, after India defended a modest 209 to win by 22 runs on Sunday and clinch the series 3-1.
“I think they bowled really well in the show tonight. All four seamers bowled well; Shreyas did a great job rotating them around. Obviously held Axar back because the seamers were going really well. And I think they were able to chip wickets away through the middle as well.
“I think if we had taken each partnership a little bit longer, we would have won that game. But there were definitely some tricky periods. They brought Arshdeep back on at the right time and Siraj as well. So it was a great bowling performance,” said Santner in the post-match presentation ceremony.
He also said the pitch’s nature and the Indian bowling plans made it hard for the batters to find their rhythm. “I think it was, I think with the fields, it was a little bit two paced, the pitch. And I thought they squeezed us pretty well. And they made great use of the bounce as well.”
Earlier in the day, New Zealand had held India to 209, a total Santner was comfortable with, and he praised off-spin bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell for the way he bowled in the middle overs.
“I was very happy at the halfway stage. It’s probably not as much in it as we thought. I thought the guys adapted well. It was obviously a little bit slow and then the way Beast (Michael Bracewell) kind of operated through the middle, was outstanding. I think we were able to chip wickets out throughout. I was pretty happy with the 200 (209).”
Looking back on the series as a whole, Santner said the hosts had played better than the final scoreline suggested, and took some positives from the way the squad was tested. “You look at the scoreline 3-1. I think it was closer than that. We played some good cricket. Obviously there was a little bit of rain around and we lost a few tosses.
“But in between all that, there’s a lot of good stuff. I think today, even in the last game, if you could take it a little bit deeper, there’s obviously a lot of time, especially with the bat in 50-over cricket. And then, different guys coming in, it’s obviously a good experience. Guys stepped up as well, which was nice.”
Santner, who was hit on the hand during the chase and needed the attention from physio, said the injury was still bothering him and that he will wait for the scan before knowing more. “Pretty sore, not a lot (smiles), it’s not great. An x-ray tomorrow morning, let’s see what it is.”
–IANS
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