New Zealand’s regular captain Mitchell Santner is not a part of this series.Image Credit source: Getty Images
The new year started for India and New Zealand with the ODI series in Vadodara. The first match of the series was played in Vadodara on Sunday 11 January. The New Zealand team was batting first in this match. But at the time when the Kiwi team was facing India on the field, the team captain was playing a different match far away from Vadodara. The New Zealand team definitely took the field with a captain, but its real captain was playing in a T20 tournament thousands of miles away.
Actually, the New Zealand team has come to India for ODI and T20 series. All-rounder Michael Bracewell has got the command of New Zealand’s ODI team for this tour. It was under his leadership that the Kiwi team entered the first ODI match in Vadodara. But at the time when this match started, New Zealand’s real ODI captain Mitchell Santner was playing a T20 tournament, which surprised everyone.
Actually Santner was rested from this ODI series. In such a situation, why was he playing in some other tournament, many fans started asking this question on social media. First of all, let us tell you where Santner was playing. Kiwi spin-allrounder and team’s white ball captain Santner was playing in the Super Smash T20 tournament. Actually, this is the domestic T20 tournament of New Zealand Cricket, in which teams from different states of the country play. In such a situation, Santner is playing in this tournament. But the question still remains that if he is playing in this tournament then why did he not come on India tour.
The answer to this is that visiting India and playing in the ODI series could have been harmful for Santner. Just before the T20 World Cup, he was given a break from the ODI series to spend enough time with his family and stay fresh. But at this time he is also preparing himself for the World Cup by playing T20 tournaments. Anyway, he will soon come to India tour with the Kiwi team for the T20 series, where he will again take charge of the team.