In the second ODI match against Team India, New Zealand emerged victorious by seven wickets at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
During the match, Daryl Mitchell played a crucial role for the “Black Caps”. Having faced 117 balls, Mitchell scored 131 runs, which was laced with 11 boundaries and two maximums.
He said that practising on the dusty wickets in Lincoln helped him prepare for spin-friendly wickets in the sub-continent.
“There`s been plenty, plenty mornings in the marquee down in the South Island in Lincoln on some prepared dusty wickets to try and find ways to come up with game plans in this part of the world. That`s the stuff that a lot of people don`t see, the work that you put in, away from the shiny lights and the TV, but it`s always nice I guess when you get the rewards from that,” he told reporters.
Currently, he is trailing by just one point in the ICC Men`s ODI batting rankings to Team India`s Virat Kohli.
The New Zealander then said that he enjoys representing his country and playing cricket all across the world.
“I just love playing for my country, I love travelling the world and playing international cricket and I am very lucky to do that across all three formats,” said Mitchell.
The 34-year-old has, in particular, enjoyed a lot of success in the Asian subcontinent, scoring 1,457 ODI runs at 56.03 with five centuries and six fifties.
From 15 matches in India, he has garnered 801 runs at 66.75 with three tons and as many fifties.
Further speaking, Mitchell said that in New Zealand, players are familiar to playing on bouncy and grassy wickets.
“(For) us as New Zealanders, we don`t grow up on these surfaces, we grow up on bouncy, grassy wickets and the nature of playing international cricket is you have to find ways to adapt your game. I`m comfortable with how I want to go about my batting in these conditions, trying to find ways to put the bowlers under pressure. Whether that`s using feet, sweep (shot), using the crease, there are different ways that you try and find ways to put pressure on them (opposition),” said Mitchell.
“For me, it`s been a learning process over several years now,” he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
