Finding the right length early key for spinners,

Even before the Test series between India and New Zealand began, Mitchell Santner, the left-armer for New Zealand, was earmarked as one of the most dangerous players in the visitors' line-up. With the ability to do damage with both bat and ball, Santner was looked at, possibly, as New Zealand's trump card on the turning tracks in India.

On Thursday (September 22), Santner proved how vital his performances are going to be during the course of the series as he helped his side stage a remarkable turnaround with three important wickets to his name. Santner was New Zealand's most effective bowler, picking up three wickets at crucial stages of the game to set the home team back. His efforts ensured India limped in to stumps at 291/9 having opted to bat first. He ended the day with three for 77 and fronted the media at the end of the day's play.

Excerpts:

Thoughts on how the match is currently poised

(India are 291/9 having opted to bat first on what looked a pretty placid track)

After losing the toss, I think we are in a reasonably good position. (The pitch) was pretty flat to start with... they did bat well. We were lucky we got a few wickets here and there to pull it back. Obviously, we have to pick up this last wicket and then bat well, build partnerships.

Did the humidity and sweat hamper reverse swing?

Yeah, I guess that is the key, to try and keep it dry. It's very tough when you're sweating quite a bit, but you just have to find a way to keep the ball dry to try get the reverse swing. Even for the spinners, to try and keep your hands dry is key to grip the ball.

What was the plan when there were good partnerships?

(Santner's three wickets - KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, all came against the run of play and when India were enjoying a good stand)

They did bat well. Both Pujara and Vijay looked quite positive against the spinners. They had a plan. They really rotated the strike pretty well, which was key. Our plan doesn't change too much, it was to bowl in good areas, build pressure that way and get wickets. The ball wasn't spinning too much than it did later on. 291/9, not too bad.

Did bowling in India go the way you planned it would?

Yeah I mean, the heat was what we thought about in the warm-up games, in training - how to hold the ball, keep it dry. Pujara, Vijay and Ashwin played really well. They were quite positive to the spinners. They tried to put you off your length. They batted really well. It's a learning experience over here, getting those overs under the belt.

Did the pitch change much?

The more you're on the wicket, the more used you are going to get in terms of the surface getting a little more harder to bat on maybe. If you bowl in the right areas, it's still quite hard to play. I guess you just have to do it for a longer period of time and then go from there. On the flipside, Pujara, Ashwin and Vijay batted very well. They rotated the strike and kept scoring at a good rate which is what you want on this wicket.

Did you speak to Vettori about how it is to play here?

Our conversation was more about bowling the ball in one area for a longer period of time but still having plenty on it. Not try and do too much, let the wicket come and play its part. With not so much turn, you try and be patient and build more dots, try and get wickets that way through false shots.

Vijay and you both say your teams are in a good position. What is a good total to chase in the fourth innings?

(Vijay said in the day end conference that India had a good total on the board for their bowlers to play with)

There's a lot of cricket to be played still. First things first, it's to get the last wicket early tomorrow and then once we bat, build partnerships and go from there. I don't think we can get too far ahead in terms of thinking about chasing a fourth-innings score at the moment. Just take it day by day and go from there.

What were the key moments of the day?

They got a very good start at 100 for 1. That partnership between Vijay and Pujara was great. Like you said, Kohli's is a big wicket, but India have a very strong batting line-up going down to Jadeja at No.9. So every wicket we got was crucial because they can all take it away from you. But we stuck it out. Stuck to our plans reasonably well and managed to get a couple more towards the end to be in not-a-bad position going into tomorrow.

Did you try bowling faster due to slow turn?

If it was turning, it was turning very slow. I guess it was a case of finding your length early and then going from there. Ya, I guess we might have been on the shorter side, but it's about trying to find the pace that will suit for that wicket. It might change in the second innings, I don't know. Mark Craig bowled very well today. And as three spinners, I think we can be reasonably happy with our hauls.

It just depends on the batters and the conditions. If it is turning slow, you want to be able to beat the bat at a reasonable pace. Today might have shown that a faster pace is good on that surface but the key as a spinner is to mix up your pace as well. It might change later on in the innings, but today that faster pace was definitely more beneficial.

How do you handle players (like Pujara) when they use their feet and does that also make you pull length back?

Yes, for sure. If the batter is using his feet well, it does take you off your length a little bit. And Pujara did it very well. He was able to come down the track well. And then you might pull your length back and then he was very good at getting right back in his crease and cutting as well. I think he played very well today. It's a case of if you can see him coming, pull your length back a bit, but if you bowl at a faster pace then it's harder. You've just got to be patient and not get too worried about it. Keep bowling and build pressure that way.