Santner's 13 wickets lead New Zealand to a first test series win in India

PUNE, India (AP) — Mitchell Santner's career-best haul of 13 wickets spearheaded New Zealand to its first test series triumph in India on Saturday.

India was set an unlikely 359 to win the second test and was bowled out for 245 after tea to lose by 113 runs inside three days.

Clinching the series with a test to spare sent the New Zealanders into a celebratory group hug in the middle of Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

“For us to do it for the first time in history, it is very hard to describe this,” allrounder Glenn Phillips said. "It is long graft and grind."

New Zealand ended India's record run of 18 consecutive home test series victories dating to 2012.

The Black Caps capped an extraordinary week for New Zealand cricket. The women's team won their first T20 World Cup in Dubai last Sunday, the same day the men won their first test in India in 36 years.

Both were surprising.

The men came to India after losing the series in Sri Lanka, with a new captains, and without their best batter, Kane Williamson.

Also, Santner’s test place was criticized, but he produced the third best bowling figures for a New Zealander in a men's test with his 13-157 in Pune, after Richard Hadlee's 15 against Australia in 1985 and Ajaz Patel's 14 against India in 2021.

Following his 7-53 in the first innings — his maiden test five-for — Santner claimed 6-104 in the second while enduring side soreness. He dismissed Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and Ravichandran Ashwin and ran out Rishabh Pant.

“I feel a little sore (after bowling unchanged from one end), but you have to keep going,” Santner said. “Every time I got a wicket, it felt better. I just tried to land the ball in the same spot with little changes in pace.”

New Zealand has toured India since 1955 and managed to win only two tests before this series, in 1969 and 1988.

“We are proud to be in this position. It is a really special feeling and a whole team effort,” Latham said. “Putting runs on the board at the start was really important. Santner was fantastic. We have had to adapt to different surfaces and we did that very well. The last two wickets took an age, but we were really happy when it happened.”

New Zealand started the day 301 runs ahead and could add only 58 more runs before it was all out for 255.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar took 4-56 in the innings and 11-115 in the match.

India reached 81-1 by lunch after losing captain Sharma, caught at short leg on 8.

Jaiswal and Gill were attacking, and India looked comfortable as they shared 62 in 10 overs for the second wicket.

Santner separated them in the 16th over — Gill was caught at slip for 23.

There was another short partnership — 31 runs — between Jaiswal and Kohli, before Santner dealt another crushing blow. Jaiswal was caught at slip for 77 off 65 balls, after hitting nine fours and three sixes.

Pant was then run out for a duck, and when Kohli was trapped for 17 at 147-5, the crowd of nearly 29,000 knew the writing was on the wall.

India slipped to 167-7 as Santner ran through the batting card.

Jadeja resisted with a late 42, the second best score of the innings.

“It is not what we expected,” Sharma said. “New Zealand played better than us. We failed to capitalize on certain moments and didn't bat well enough to get runs on the board. You have to take 20 wickets to win a test, but batters have to put runs on the board.”

The third test begins in Mumbai on Friday.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, third from left, celebrates the dismissal of India's Virat Kohli with his team mates during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner bowls a delivery during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, third from left, celebrates the dismissal of India's Ravichandran Ashwin with his team mates during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner bowls a delivery during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, left, and New Zealand's captain Tom Latham celebrates the dismissal of India's Sarfaraz Khan during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, left, and New Zealand's captain Tom Latham celebrates the dismissal of India's Virat Kohli during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner , centre, celebrates the dismissal of India's captain Rohit Sharma with his team mates during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit walks off the field after losing his wicket during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner ,second from right, celebrates the dismissal of India's captain Rohit Sharma with his team mates during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Shubman Gill plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the day three of the second cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium , in Pune, India, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)