Mitchell Santner Flags Bhuvneshwar Kumar Threat, India’s Batting Power Ahead Of T20I Series

Mitchell Santner Flags Bhuvneshwar Kumar Threat, India’s Batting Power Ahead Of T20I Series (PTI)

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner warned his team about the challenge that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will bring to the table during the five match T20I series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was included in the T20I team for the New Zealand series after stellar results in domestic cricket and IPL. Santner said that the conditions will suit Bhuvneshwar Kumar and he can pose a serious challenge to them, even on wickets where there is not much help on offer.

"I think Bhuvi will love these conditions in New Zealand. If there's anything in the wicket, he'll find something out of it," New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said. "[Even] on some flat ones in India, still manages to nip the ball and swing the ball. So with the new ball out here especially, he'll be a challenge.

"I mean in India it's pretty challenging as a bowler these days, like we've seen in the recent series [against West Indies], 250 getting chased down - who wants to be a bowler? - but he might like it out here a little better."

The Kiwi captain is also wary of the damage that India's batting can do in good conditions. With Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan at the top, it's very hard for the bowling team to contain the Men in Blue on a good day. Then there is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hasn't got many chances in the playing XI, but could be equally dangerous if given a crack.

"Obviously Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't play [in India's last series against West Indies], but I've seen first-hand how good he is [in] the IPL," Santner said. "The power at the top that India have, Sanju and Abhishek have done really well, so I think it's one of those things where we know how good he is, and then the guys who are playing are also doing very well.

"I think he has a huge part to play for India, whether it's this series or not, but in the future. If he does get a crack this series, we've seen what he can do, and guys have found it quite hard to stop him. I know England, in the series away, went quite short and hard at a lot of the Indian batters, but I think we've seen in the IPL how aggressive he can be, so we've got some plans for him if he happens to play."

Faham Uddin is a seasoned sports journalist currently working as a Special Correspondent on the sports desk. With over eight years of diverse experien...