New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner credited India’s disciplined bowling attack for making the most of the conditions in the fifth ODI, as the visitors defended a modest target of 210 to seal a 22-run victory and wrap up the five-match series 3-1 on Sunday.India were bowled out for 209 in 42.1 overs at Bay Oval, but their bowlers produced a collective effort to dismiss the hosts for 187 in 48.1 overs. The result handed India their third ODI series triumph in New Zealand.While Santner was pleased with his team’s efforts to restrict India to a manageable total, he admitted that New Zealand failed to make their batting partnerships count during the chase. He also praised stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for his bowling changes and the way he managed the Indian attack.“I think they bowled really well in a tonight show. 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, you know, 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 was definitely some tricky periods. They brought Arshdeep back on at the right time and Siraj as well. So it was a great bowling performance,” Santner said during the post-match press conference.The New Zealand skipper felt the pitch had something in it for the bowlers, but was satisfied with how his side adapted after being asked to bowl first. He singled out Michael Bracewell’s contribution in the middle overs and believed his team had done enough to keep India to a competitive total.“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, you know, was outstanding. I think we were able to chip wickets out throughout. I was pretty happy with the 200 (209),” he said.However, New Zealand could not build the partnerships required to stay on course in the chase, with India’s bowlers consistently applying pressure. Santner felt the visitors used the two-paced nature of the surface and its bounce effectively.“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,” he added.Despite losing the series 3-1, Santner believed the margin did not accurately capture the competitiveness of the contests. He pointed to rain interruptions, tosses going against his side and opportunities given to different players as factors that shaped the series.“You look at the scoreline 3-1. I think it was closer than that. We played some good cricket. Obviously had a little bit of rain around and 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 good experience. Guys stepped up as well, which was nice,” he said.Arshdeep Singh led India’s bowling effort with figures of 3/30, while Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel picked up two wickets apiece. Auqib Nabi, Yash Thakur and Naman Dhir also contributed with a wicket each. Dean Foxcroft top-scored for New Zealand with 31, while Santner managed 24 before the hosts were bowled out short of the target.Santner also gave an update on the hand injury he suffered while batting during the chase. The New Zealand captain was struck on the hand and needed treatment from the team’s physiotherapist.“Pretty sore, not a lot (smiles), it’s not great. An x-ray tomorrow morning, let’s see what it is,” he said.Earlier, India had struggled to put up a substantial total after being sent in to bat. Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel scored 46 each, while Shreyas Iyer made 22. Santner and Jacob Duffy claimed three wickets apiece, with Matthew Fisher taking two.The victory marked India’s third ODI series win on New Zealand soil, adding to their previous triumphs in 2009 and the 2018-19 season.
