'I'm similar to Dhoni and Fleming'- New Zealand star draws bold comparison with legendary captains

MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming (Image source: Twitter)

India will be taking on New Zealand in the opening match of the three-game T20I series tonight in Ranchi. With Hardik Pandya leading the Indian team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, New Zealand will be led by Santner, as Kane Williamson and Tim Southee have been rested ahead of the Test series against England. The Kiwis are looking to rebound from a 0-3 clean sweep in the ODI series and make a strong comeback in the shortest format of the game.

Santner, who has captained the New Zealand team in 10 T20Is so far, shared that he draws inspiration from the leadership styles of MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming, both of whom he has worked with at the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He said that he sees some similarities with the two in that he also likes to remain level-headed and calm on the field. He also stated that he wants to maintain a similar approach as they do, and trying to be that kind of leader to help the team achieve success.

We try to be level-headed and relaxed- Santner

"Yeah, I guess that is my nature, and it has been like that for a little while now, "Santner told ESPNCricinfo ahead of the India vs New Zealand 1st T20I in Ranchi.

“If you look at both of them , they're very calm and very level-headed, which I like. So, I feel like I'm similar in that respect and working alongside MS has been a pretty cool experience for a few years now. I guess it's nice to be back at his home ground as well. And Flem, he's the same, very level-headed and keeps it very relaxed and that's what we try to do in this set-up as well,” said Santner.

Earlier, MS Dhoni made a visit to Team India's practice session at the JCA Stadium, Ranch and interacted with Men in Blue players such as Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and others.