Santner's neck scare adds to NZ worries as India win T20I opener

India began their New Zealand tour with a four-wicket win in Christchurch on Thursday. The off-field talking point was Mitchell Santner. The home captain landed awkwardly while fielding and had to leave the ground.

The fall came in the 13th or 14th over of India's chase of 226. Santner appeared to hurt his neck and went off holding it. He was back before the end and bowled his final over, which cost 19 runs. That over, with India needing a steep rate, all but sealed the result.

Afterwards Santner played it down. He described the problem as a bit of whiplash and said he was okay. Early indications are that he should be available for the second T20I at the same Hagley Oval on Saturday, October 24. New Zealand's medical staff will still keep a close watch. He had taken two wickets before the fall, and the Black Caps rely heavily on him for control in the middle overs.

The match itself was a run-fest. New Zealand posted 225 for 4, with Glenn Phillips unbeaten on 82 off just 40 balls. He closed the innings with a reverse-sweep for four off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvneshwar was playing his first T20I in four years and went for 49 without a wicket. Axar Patel was also expensive, with figures of 1 for 51.

India's reply was built on an explosive start. Sanju Samson raced to a fifty inside the Powerplay, and India were 94 for 1 after six overs. Samson fell when he dragged a Santner delivery onto his stumps. Santner also removed Ishan Kishan. New Zealand's spinners, Michael Bracewell among them, then dragged the game back by taking wickets in the middle overs and giving the ball air against the long Hagley boundaries.

Captain Shreyas Iyer kept India in the chase with an unbeaten innings. He was 33 off 22 at one stage, and his steadiness stopped the innings from drifting. Naman Dhir then took over, needing 59 off 33 balls when he came in. He finished with 42 as India ended on 230 for 6 with two balls to spare. Nathan Smith and Matt Henry were wicketless. Adam Milne took one wicket and leaked 44 in his four overs.

For India there are two positives. The first is that the batting depth worked in a tense chase on a ground where 225 would normally look safe. The second is the changes made to the XI. Nitish Kumar Reddy came in for Shivam Dube, and the team management will be happy with how the combination coped under pressure. The result also continues India's dominance over this opposition. India had beaten New Zealand in this year's T20 World Cup final.

New Zealand's problems are real, even though the scoreboard shows they were competitive. The bowlers conceded too many extras and gave India a flying start. Santner himself pointed to the new-ball wides and the Powerplay as the main reasons for the defeat. He added that the side must find a way to keep an opening burst to around 80 rather than 100.

Their squad is also thin because of injuries. Rachin Ravindra dislocated his right shoulder during a promotional shoot last month and is out of the T20 series. He is expected to return for the one-day series that starts on November 4. Losing Santner, even briefly, would have taken away their captain and best spinner.

This is the first leg of a five-match T20I series. India lead 1-0, and the second match on Saturday gives New Zealand a quick chance to respond. The Black Caps must fix their opening spells and hope their captain's neck holds up. India will want to see whether their fast-scoring top order can repeat the Powerplay blitz.