New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner shared they have plans for star Indian player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of T20I seriesScroll down to read the full story.
Published: October 21, 2026, 9:41 PM IST
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Mitchell Santner on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of T20I series (Image – BCCI)
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said it would be very difficult to stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi if he plays for India in the five-match T20I series starting on ThursdayHowever, he said his team has made plans to stop the young batter.
Sooryavanshi has not played many matches since he was selected for India’s UK tour earlier this yearThis is because openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have been playing wellSantner said New Zealand has studied Sooryavanshi’s batting and is ready to face him if he gets a chance to play in the series.
“He (Sooryavanshi) did not play in the last series (against West Indies), but we know how good he is, in IPLWe know other players like Abhishek are doing very wellBut he (Sooryavanshi) has a huge part to play for India, whether it’s in this series or not, but in future,” Santner said at the pre-series press conference here on Wednesday.
“If he does get a crack at this series, we’ve seen what he can do and guys have found it quite hard to stop himI know in England, they went quite short and hard at a lot of the Indian battersI think we’ve seen him in the IPL and how aggressive he can beSo we’ve got some plans for him if he happens to play.”
Santner was also asked about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the Indian T20I team after almost four yearsThe New Zealand captain said he believes Bhuvneshwar will enjoy playing in these conditions.
“I think Bhuvi will love these conditions in New ZealandIf there’s anything in the wicket, he finds something out of itOn some flat ones in India, he still managed to nip the ball and swing the ball, so I think with the new ball out here, especially, it’ll be a challenge (for New Zealand).
“In India, it’s pretty challenging as a bowler these daysWe’ve seen in the recent series, 250 getting chased downWho wants to be a bowler, but he (Bhuvneshwar) might like it out here a little bit better.”
Santner said he hopes the bowlers will have a good series“I hope soI think maybe the first game it might be, but it can change pretty quicklyIt’s very weather dependentThe second game is a used pitch, same pitch we used for first gameIt could be a bit flatter.
“If it nips around, we’ve got to play accordinglyIf it’s flat, you’ve got to play accordingly,” he said.
“If there is a little bit in it, you might have to change a few shots, but they’ve played on fast, bouncy wickets beforeThey’ve played all around the world and done really wellIt’s going to be a challenge this series and we’re looking forward to it,” he added.
