Santner rates Bhuvneshwar a threat in NZ and has plans for Sooryavanshi

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has named Bhuvneshwar Kumar as one of the main dangers for his side as India begin a five-match T20I series in Christchurch on Thursday. Bhuvneshwar is back in India's T20I squad after nearly four years away, and Santner thinks the home conditions will suit his swing bowling.

Santner spoke on the eve of the series opener. He said that Bhuvneshwar finds movement even on flat Indian pitches, and that this should be more pronounced with the new ball in New Zealand. He also pointed to the contrast with the recent T20I series India played against West Indies, which was a high-scoring affair. In his view, bowlers have a tough time in those conditions, and Bhuvneshwar may enjoy the change.

Bhuvneshwar last played T20Is for India in November 2022. The selectors brought him back for this tour as a swing option, and he joins Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav in the pace group. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the main spinners. Ravi Bishnoi misses out from the 16-man group, and Washington Sundar is also absent.

**The batting threat**

Santner was just as cautious about India's batting. He said India are very hard to stop when the pitch is flat and true, but that a bit of help for the bowlers makes it harder for batters to attack from ball one. He expects different surfaces across the series, which moves through Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. Not every pitch will be a green seamer, he said, so both sides will have to adjust quickly.

He highlighted the aggressive start India's openers give them. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have both been in strong form, according to Santner.

**The Sooryavanshi question**

The teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is part of India's squad but did not play in the West Indies series, and whether he features in Christchurch is uncertain. Santner said he has seen first-hand how good the youngster is in the IPL. He added that New Zealand have plans ready if Sooryavanshi is picked. Santner also said that with the incumbent batters doing so well, Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his chance, though he sees a big role for him in India's future.

**Series situation and what it means for India**

India come into this series on the back of a 2-2 result against West Indies at home. That is not the form a side with India's batting depth would want, and it gives New Zealand some belief. India are led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. The full squad is Iyer, Abhishek, Samson, Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince, Mayank, Arshdeep, Bhuvneshwar, Varun and Kuldeep.

The T20Is are only the first leg of a long tour. India's visit to New Zealand also includes five ODIs and two Tests, so the T20I results will set the tone for a lengthy stay. The fixtures are:

- 1st T20I: Christchurch, 22 October
- 2nd T20I: Christchurch, 24 October
- 3rd T20I: Wellington, 27 October
- 4th T20I: Auckland, 30 October
- 5th T20I: Hamilton, 1 November

For India, the first big question is how the new-ball attack copes with a bit of seam and bounce after a series on high-scoring home pitches. Bhuvneshwar's comeback adds experience to that group. The other question is whether the top order can keep up its attacking approach if the ball does something early. Santner's comments suggest New Zealand see those as the key contests, and he has also mentioned a possible Sooryavanshi debut as one that they have prepared for.