'Seen it for a couple of years': New Zealand captain lauds Tilak Varma's growth as finisher after India's second T20I win
toi
newspoint|25-10-2026
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has seen Tilak Varma 's development at close quarters in the Mumbai Indians dressing room and believes the left-hander has grown into a reliable finisher, a role he underlined with an unbeaten 51 in India's four-wicket win in the second T20I.
Santner, who returned figures of 4/21 in the match, recalled how Tilak initially batted at No. 3 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL before adapting to the demands of finishing games.
"When he (Tilak) first started, he was batting three. And it's a slightly different role. So I guess the middle order role depends on how you operate in the middle and in the death phase. I've seen it for a couple of years now at Mumbai. He's very good," Santner said after New Zealand's defeat.
The New Zealand skipper also praised his IPL teammate Naman Dhir for his approach at the crease and acknowledged Nitish Kumar Reddy 's contribution in the closing stages of India's chase.
"And same with Naman Dhir. I think the way he's come in and just looks so free from the start. Tilak took his time a little bit today, but managed the chase very well with Reddy at the end. If you can finish off games as a finisher, you're doing a pretty good job. So, I think it was a great knock from those last three, especially tonight," he added.
Despite his four-wicket haul, Santner felt New Zealand had let the match slip away through mistakes in the field. He pointed to dropped catches and missed opportunities in the latter stages of India's chase, saying the two sides had been closely matched in terms of their overall skills.
"If you look at the skills of both teams, it's been very close and it's come down to some small moments in the field. I think especially us, the back end of that chase tonight. I think we're in a very good position, a couple of drop catches, missed fields. And it's the winning or losing of the game."
Santner said New Zealand had played good cricket in both matches but needed to make better use of key moments. He noted that mistakes such as dropped catches and no-balls can quickly change the course of a T20 match.
"From a skills perspective, we've been playing some very good cricket. It's just some small moments where, if you seize those moments, we could have easily been, I guess, 2-0 up as well."
The New Zealand captain said the team would review its performance and look at the missed opportunities without overlooking the positives. The visitors will travel to Wellington for the next match, where windy conditions could again make fielding difficult.
"Again, I think it's the result. But again, we'll reflect on tonight. There was a lot of good stuff again, as there was in the first game. And there's some small stuff that I wouldn't say let us down, but it can change games quickly."
Santner, who returned figures of 4/21 in the match, recalled how Tilak initially batted at No. 3 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL before adapting to the demands of finishing games.
"When he (Tilak) first started, he was batting three. And it's a slightly different role. So I guess the middle order role depends on how you operate in the middle and in the death phase. I've seen it for a couple of years now at Mumbai. He's very good," Santner said after New Zealand's defeat.
The New Zealand skipper also praised his IPL teammate Naman Dhir for his approach at the crease and acknowledged Nitish Kumar Reddy 's contribution in the closing stages of India's chase.
"And same with Naman Dhir. I think the way he's come in and just looks so free from the start. Tilak took his time a little bit today, but managed the chase very well with Reddy at the end. If you can finish off games as a finisher, you're doing a pretty good job. So, I think it was a great knock from those last three, especially tonight," he added.
Despite his four-wicket haul, Santner felt New Zealand had let the match slip away through mistakes in the field. He pointed to dropped catches and missed opportunities in the latter stages of India's chase, saying the two sides had been closely matched in terms of their overall skills.
"If you look at the skills of both teams, it's been very close and it's come down to some small moments in the field. I think especially us, the back end of that chase tonight. I think we're in a very good position, a couple of drop catches, missed fields. And it's the winning or losing of the game."
Santner said New Zealand had played good cricket in both matches but needed to make better use of key moments. He noted that mistakes such as dropped catches and no-balls can quickly change the course of a T20 match.
"From a skills perspective, we've been playing some very good cricket. It's just some small moments where, if you seize those moments, we could have easily been, I guess, 2-0 up as well."
The New Zealand captain said the team would review its performance and look at the missed opportunities without overlooking the positives. The visitors will travel to Wellington for the next match, where windy conditions could again make fielding difficult.
"Again, I think it's the result. But again, we'll reflect on tonight. There was a lot of good stuff again, as there was in the first game. And there's some small stuff that I wouldn't say let us down, but it can change games quickly."
Related News
Latest Newsmore
India Become 2nd In World, But Pakistan Were 1st To Achieve This Historic Cricket Record
24-Oct-2026 • Prateek Thakur
Mumbai Indians appoint Kieron Pollard as head coach ahead of IPL 2027
24-Oct-2026 • toi
Mumbai Indians appoints Kieron Pollard as head coach ahead of IPL 2027
24-Oct-2026 • Samira Vishwas
IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Playing Today? Check India’s Playing XI
24-Oct-2026 • Suyash Sahay
Nightmare For India! Just 113 Runs, 5 Batters Out For Ducks Against New Zealand A
24-Oct-2026 • Prateek Thakur