New Zealand are upbeat after the eight-wicket win in the rain-hit first Test against India in Bengaluru, and their middle-order batsman Daryl Mitchell says the team is ready to face any challenge, including a spinning track, in the second match of the series in Pune beginning this Thursday.
Kiwi pacers bowled India out for an embarrassing 46 in the first innings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is India’s lowest total in a Test at home.The hosts did fight back in the second innings by erasing the 356-run Kiwi lead, but eventually lost the match.
The black soil in Pune and the red soil in the third Test in Mumbai will present different challenges to the visitors, but Mitchell believes his team is prepared with answers for everything.
“Every country has its different challenges. Galle (in Sri Lanka) was a different spinning wicket again to what we’ll receive here and the likes of Mumbai in the next Test as well. Different soils, different clays,” said Mitchell after New Zealand’s training session on Tuesday.
“It’s understanding the threats that each pitch will give you and trying to find ways to negate that, but also try to find ways to put pressure back on the bowlers as well. That’s the nature of playing spin over here. You’ve got to be confident in your plans and how you want to go about your business and try and repeat that for long periods of time,” he added.
It was New Zealand first Test win in India in 36 years, but a wounded India is expected to come back hard, especially keeping the World Test Championship (WTC) points in mind.
India are currently on top of the WTC table and would want to consolidate their position with another win.
“One thing we can’t do is we can’t change the surface, so for us it’s reacting to what’s coming at us and adapting on the fly,” Mitchell
“As Kiwis, that’s what we pride ourselves on is (that) 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,” he added.
Mitchell was also in awe of Rishabh Pant, who scored 99 despite batting with a dodgy knee in Bengaluru in India’s second innings.
“Rishabh, he’s a world-class player and I seriously respect how he goes about playing his cricket and it was a great partnership (with Sarfaraz Khan). But for us, we know that in Bengaluru, it’s a fast-scoring ground. Where we were in the game, we knew that we just need to keep trying to take wickets, keep trying to put pressure on them,” Mithell concluded.
