Mitchell Santner admits India still terrify New Zealand despite historic Test-ODI series wins

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner has arrived in India for the 5-match T20I series against the Men in Blue before going into the ICC T20 World Cup, which the Blackcaps have never won. Santner will be leading in his maiden World Cup, and the skipper has cited the India series as a challenge to their preparations ahead of the World Cup.

India lost the New Zealand series by a 2-1 margin, which marked the first-ever victory for New Zealand in an ODI bilateral series. This is a major blow to India’s campaign and the future of several Indian cricketers who mostly play the 50-over format.

The Men in Blue and Blackcaps will be part of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and have scheduled a 5-match series in the shortest format of the game, which starts on the 21st of January and will end a week ahead of the ICC tournament.

“I don’t think that gives us an edge going into the T20I series – New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner

Mitchell Santner, the full-time skipper for the New Zealand team, returned with the T20I leg of the series after he decided to opt out of the ODI series. He was playing in the Super Smash back in the country when Michael Bracewell led the Kiwis to a maiden win.

Santner, upon his return, has praised the New Zealand team for their recent success; however, he feels that it won’t hand the Kiwis any kind of advantage in the shortest format of the game over the T20 World Champions.

“We have some recent success against India in different formats. But I don’t think that gives us an edge going into the T20I series. India are a great team, and it’s a great preparation for us before the World Cup,” said Mitchell Santner.

We have some recent success against India in different formats. But I don’t think that gives us an edge going into the T20I series. India are a great team and it’s a great preparation for us before the World Cup: Mitchell Santner pic.twitter.com/KqAnS1ECa7

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 20, 2026

Mitchell Santner reflects a focused mindset ahead of the T20 World Cup

The T20I series marks the return of many Kiwi players who could not be a part of the ODI series. The likes of Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Tim Robinson, and more will be back alongside the skipper, Santner.

Santner, who previously led New Zealand to the ICC Champions Trophy final, will be targeting the T20 World Cup triumph. The Kiwis made an early exit from the T20 World Cup last time, after they lost two group stage matches to the West Indies and Afghanistan.

Santner has spoken of the much-needed focus required for a good outcome in the World Cup. He is not busy celebrating the ODI series win but has rather looked to the new challenges that will come with a different side and a different format.

The result in the ODI series was good. But T20Is are a different series against a different team: Santner

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) January 20, 2026

“Daryl Mitchell is getting the fruits of his labour” – Mitchell Santner

Daryl Mitchell, the right-handed batter from New Zealand, has been one of the finest batters for the Blackcaps in limited-overs cricket. He has especially had special numbers while playing in India, which gives him an upper hand for the T20 World Cup.

Mitchell came to India with some runs in the twin white-ball series against the West Indies at home and the England series before that. He then scored 350+ runs in the India ODI series and averaged over 175, with two hundreds to his name.

Mitchell Santner praises his contributions to New Zealand’s success in limited-overs cricket, especially the ODI format, and claims that he is reaping the fruits of his intense hard work.