New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner believes his side’s experience in the subcontinent and their ability to adapt quickly will be key to handling varied conditions at the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The Kiwis played eight white-ball matches in India, three ODIs and five T20Is in the lead-up to the ICC showpiece, which begins on February 7.

Reflecting after New Zealand’s 46-run defeat in the fifth T20I against India on Saturday, Santner said familiarity with Indian conditions, particularly in Chennai, would work in their favour.

“We’ve had a few players who’ve played in Chennai recently in the IPL, and obviously throughout our careers,” Santner said.
“I think the last couple of years have shown that Chennai is a pretty good wicket.”

New Zealand are placed in Group B alongside Afghanistan, UAE, South Africa and Canada. They will play three group matches in Chennai and one in Ahmedabad, with match start times varying between 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm.

Santner acknowledged the challenge of different venues, surfaces and start times but backed his team to adjust.

“The day games will be slightly different. Guys will have to reset their clocks and get up a bit earlier,” he said.
“But it’s a new challenge. We go to Ahmedabad for one game on red soil, then back to Chennai on black soil, so it will be slightly different.”

“We pride ourselves on adapting as quickly as we can. Throughout the World Cup, we’ll need to adjust to different surfaces. With three games in Chennai, it might play very differently or it might play the same. Either way, we know how to operate.”

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav clears air on Kishan keeping ahead of Samson

Santner added that the challenging T20I series against India, which New Zealand lost 1-4, would serve as valuable preparation.

“We were tested a lot throughout the series, which we expected. We know how good India are, especially at home,” he said. “For us, it was a great series and great preparation. The results were a bit disappointing, but there were plenty of learnings.”

“Bowlers especially got a lot out of it. If we come up against India again, or play on a really flat wicket where 230 or 240 might be a par score, we’ll be better prepared.”

The New Zealand skipper was also pleased to see the return of express pacer Lockie Ferguson, who featured in his first match in several months.

Ferguson finished with figures of 2 for 41, dismissing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

“Lockie has shown his class whenever he plays for New Zealand,” Santner said.
“We wanted to make sure he was fully fit and ready to go and didn’t push him too early.”

“For his first outing back, he looked really good and was bowling pretty quick. For us, that’s a massive boost,” he added.