India, Feb. 27 -- Mitchell Santner is a protective shield around his teammates and finds a way to make them feel bigger in stature, New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra said in effusive praise of his captain after the Black Caps beat Sri Lanka by 61 runs to enter the T20 World Cup semifinals here. While Ravindra scored 32 and also scalped 4 for 19 to win the Player Of The Match award, it was skipper Santner's 26-ball 47 that propelled New Zealand to 168 for 7 after being down and out at 84 for 6.

He also bowled a miserly spell of 1/19 in four overs with half a dozen dot balls in Sri Lanka's 107 for 8. According to Ravindra, the greatest attribute of Santner is showing the way with game-changing performances like the one against Sri Lanka o...