The first two-matches of the ongoing three-match T20I series between India and New Zealand had seen a below par fielding performance from both the sides with a few catches going down and one player who had endured a terrible time on the field was Mitchell Santner.
The New Zealand spinner had dropped quite a few catches in the second game in Rajkot and prior to the series-decider, he had said that his team would like to put a good performance in the field.
“Yeah I mean it. We pride ourselves on our fielding. In the heat of the battle, we don’t want to be dropping catches. A couple of dropped catches have been crucial. We have to put up a good performance in the field,” Santner had said.
Well, Santner not only remained true to his words but exceeded the expectations with a stunning catch near the boundary line. With the game reduced to 8 overs per side due to rain, New Zealand came out full of intent as the bowlers were well-backed by the fielders before Santner’s stunning effort provided the icing on the cake.
In the last over of the Indian innings, Manish Pandey went for a big shot as he cleared his front leg and hit the Trent Boult delivery towards the cow corner. The ball was looking primed to cross the boundary but Santner had some other plans. The spin bowler came running from long-on, jumped his time to perfection and threw himself grabbing the ball air-borne before throwing the ball to Colin de Grandhomme who too came running from deep mid-wicket.
Here is a clip of that wicket:
https://twitter.com/84107010ghwj/status/927942636995883008