New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted on Saturday that his side could easily have been 2-0 up in the five-match T20I series against India, had they held their chances in the field — with the visitors pulling off a dramatic late chase at Hagley Oval in Christchurch to level the series. India overhauled a target of 181 with a ball to spare, winning by four wickets after recovering from a precarious 70 for 5.

India's Remarkable Recovery

Tilak Varma (51 not out) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (26 not out) stitched together an unbroken 69-run seventh-wicket partnership to drag India over the line. Earlier, Naman Dhir had contributed a crucial 31 off 17 balls to stabilise the chase. Santner was generous in his praise for India's lower order, noting that Varma, Reddy, and Dhir looked remarkably composed under pressure.

'I think Tilak took his time a little bit today, but managed the chase very well with Reddy at the end. So I think, 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,' Santner said at the post-match press conference.

Santner's Four-Wicket Haul Goes in Vain

Despite an impressive personal return of 4 for 21, Santner's efforts were not enough to seal a New Zealand win. He attributed his improved figures to a tackier surface compared to the series opener, which offered him more grip and allowed him to vary his pace more effectively.

'Don't get four for that often. The wicket was a little bit tacky, and the late nature of the games meant there was a little bit of hold, which was nice. I feel like you could mix it up a bit more and be a little bit more aggressive, whereas the other night it was skidding on,' he said.

He also credited fellow spinner Michael Bracewell for bowling well through the powerplay and middle overs, noting that the size of Hagley Oval had worked in their favour, with some shots that would have been sixes elsewhere being held on the boundary.

Jacobs and Phillips Rescue New Zealand

New Zealand's innings had looked shaky after losing three wickets in the powerplay, but Bevon Jacobs (58) and Glenn Phillips (70) combined for a match-defining 116-run partnership to push the hosts to a competitive total. Santner praised both batters for their composure under pressure, reserving particular encouragement for the emerging Jacobs.

'BJ is just going to keep getting better and better with more opportunities, and we've seen Glenn do that for a long time — take more responsibility at four, and he's shown that he's a pretty good number four batter,' Santner said.

Fitness Concerns Cloud New Zealand's Camp

The post-match debrief was also clouded by injury concerns, with pacers Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson both leaving the field during the match. Henry was reported to have experienced a tight calf, while Ferguson's exit was also described as precautionary. Santner said neither would be risked given the packed schedule ahead, which includes one-day internationals and a Test match.

'With the quick turnaround of this series going to the one-dayers and into the Test as well, we don't want to risk too much, but hope that they pull up fine because both are good bowlers,' he said.

Focus Shifts to Wellington

With the series locked at 1-1 and the chasing side winning both games so far, dew has been identified as a recurring factor at the toss. Santner noted there was marginally less dew at Hagley Oval than in the first T20I, but confirmed it would continue to influence tactics throughout the series.

The third T20I is scheduled for Tuesday in Wellington, where Santner acknowledged the swirling wind could make catching equally challenging. He said New Zealand would assess pitch conditions and team selection fresh, rather than dwell on the errors from Christchurch. 'The skills are good; the plans were good tonight. We'll go assess the conditions again in Wellington and then go out there and try to fire some shots again at India, who are playing some good cricket in New Zealand,' he added.