In a stunning turn of events, New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner claimed Virat Kohli ‘s wicket on a full toss, leaving the Indian batsman and the cricket world in disbelief. Santner’s remarkable spell of 7/53 helped New Zealand gain a significant lead in the second Test, and he shared his thoughts on the unforgettable moment.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: No Drinking Water Shortage For Fans On Second Day Of India-New Zealand Test

Mitchell Santner on Virat Kohli ‘s dismissal

Mitchell Santner expressed his shock at dismissing Virat Kohli , stating that the Indian captain rarely misses full tosses. He credited the success to his change of pace, which caught Kohli off guard. The left-arm spinner emphasized the importance of varying his speed, a tactic he often employs in white-ball cricket.

“I was in more of a shock getting Kohli out off the full toss. He doesn’t usually miss those,” Santner replied when asked how much he enjoyed getting India’s premier batter out in the manner he did.

“It was slightly slower through the air. I just tried to change it up a little bit, but usually if you bowl those, they go for six. There was obviously a little bit there which was nice and the change of pace was key today,” he told the media.

Santner said despite having a huge 301-run lead, New Zealand batters still have a job to do with three days left in the Test.

“I think India will probably come out more aggressive and try to put us on the back foot. There’s still a job to do with the bat. Obviously, the more runs we get now, it makes our job with the ball a little easier,” he said.

Santner said mixing up the pace, like India off-spinner Washington Sundar did on Day one during his 7/59, was the key.

“I tend to do that a lot in white ball cricket — change the pace. We spoke about (keeping it) just under 90kmph (and for) an hour kind of (it) looked like it’s spinning and then for a period there, when you went over the top, it was actually bouncing a lot,” he said.

Also Read: Virat Kohli FUMES at Umpire For Not Booking Tom Latham For Running on Pitch During Pune Test

“We spoke about maybe going a little bit slower but at the start, I was kind of fast into it and then it kind of changed as the day went on with the pitch…and Washy did that very well.

“You know, first it was 95kmph and then he started to slow it up and get the variation that kept the batters guessing,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)