FALL OF A JUGGERNAUT

Spinner Santner’s historic effort ends India’s streak as host suffer first home series defeat since 2012

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

THIS may be harsh but Mitchell Santner's Test career peaked after his first experience of the longest format. Making his debut in the pink ball game against Australia in 2015, the visitors were below par at 5/98 when the then 23-year-old walked out well before lights had taken effect. Australia sensed blood. Santner wasn't going to lie down and be tickled. He stepped out and square drove Peter Siddle for four. Hello, Test cricket, meet Mr Santner. It was quite the introduction.

When he was going through his paces at the nets before the second Test in Pune, almost nine years removed from the opening encounter, the 28-Test man was still searching for something to eclipse that moment Adelaide moment.

It came on Day Two at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune when he ran through the spine of the hosts' batting line-up to set up New Zealand's first-ever Test series win on Indian soil. Twenty-four hours later, he repeated the trick by helping the Kiwis seal the deal, an unthinkable achievement less than a month ago when he picked up one wicket across three innings in Galle. In that away Test series loss over Sri Lanka, the leftarm fingerspinner had combined returns of 1/197 in 66.2 overs.

On Friday and Saturday, the 32-year-old toppled his own recent history to bowl the Indians out on a tricky black-soil surface at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium at Pune.