Mitchell talked about his team’s continuous struggles brought on by erratic wicket conditions. The team is getting ready for important games, so he said, “We can’t change the wicket, but we’ll find a way to adapt.”
Mitchell on Wicket Challenges
New Zealand’s seamers, who had set up their first Test victory in India in 36 years in Bengaluru, will be defeated by Pune’s flat, low-bounce black-soil pitch, but Daryl Mitchell says the visitors aren’t very concerned. The ground crew removed some grass from the field after New Zealand’s first practice session ended before midday on Tuesday. The surface may be shaved bare on the eve of the second Test.
“One thing we can’t do is we can’t change the surface,” Mitchell said two days out of the Pune Test. “So for us, it’s reacting to what’s coming at us and adapting on the fly. We as Kiwis, that’s what we pride ourselves on, we get stuck into the moment, we stay where our feet are and we be as present as possible. We can’t change the wicket. What will be, will be. But I’m sure we’ll come up with a plan and find a way to take 20 wickets and hopefully score a few runs as well.”
Mitchell has been looking for some form, even though he is frequently proactive against spin he is skilled at stepping out as well as sweeping and reverse-sweeping. Mitchell has only amassed 406 runs in nine innings at an average of 27.06 since his century against Sri Lanka at his home stadium in Christchurch in March of last year. This is over 20 points less than his average of 46.08 in Test cricket overall. But Mitchell isn’t making too much of it.
Team Dynamics For 2nd Test
Will Young is expected to remain at No. 3 since Kane Williamson is also unable to play in the second Test due to a groin strain. After Tom Latham and Devon Conway were removed by Jasprit Bumrah in yet another spectacular outburst, he and Rachin Ravindra formed an unbroken 75-run partnership in the fourth innings to settle New Zealand’s modest chase of 107. Will O’Rourke, a teammate from Canterbury who was playing his maiden Test in India, also left a lasting impression with a match total of seven wickets, including the wicket of Virat Kohli in the opening innings. Their seamless transition from domestic to international cricket was praised by Mitchell.
“Youngie and Rachin have been around our group for a long time even though they haven’t played a lot of cricket,” Mitchell said. “They’ve been able to see how the culture works and how we want to go about playing as Black Caps. And they’ve fitted seamlessly into their roles.
New Zealand’s offense has gained a new edge thanks to O’Rourke’s 6’4″ size and lofty release point. Following O’Rourke’s development from close quarters, Mitchell shared his thoughts on why O’Rourke is a challenging bowler to deal with.
“He’s a big unit first of all,” Mitchell said. “He’s tall, he bowls from a height but he also can get the balls to go both ways which is always a challenge especially in Christchurch at Hagley [Oval]. There’s a bit of bounce in those wickets, so as you can imagine it can be quite tough at times. “But yeah look, he’s first of all a great man as well. He doesn’t say a lot but when he does it’s pretty funny and yeah, he’s good to have around.”
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