‘We can’t change the surface’ – Daryl Mitchell emphasises on importance of adapting

Daryl Mitchell. (Source:X/Twitter)

New Zealand put in a splendid effort to end a 36-year-old jinx, emerging victors in the first Test against India in Bengaluru. As is seen in the past, the trend has been to prepare tracks assisting spin especially after India lose a Test at home. That is what the Kiwis are expecting in Pune, the venue of the second Test, and rightly so. New Zealand batting all-rounder, Daryl Mitchell, stressed on being adaptive and being clued in to the present instead of lingering in the past.

“One thing we can’t do is change the surface. It’s all about reacting to what’s coming at us and adapting on the fly. As Kiwis, we pride ourselves on getting stuck into the moment, staying where our feet are, and being as present as possible. It’s another Test match now. What has been, has been. I’m obviously very grateful to win that Test match, but at the same time, it’s a different ground, different surface, and we’ll be ready to go from the first ball,” stated Mitchell.

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It’s understanding the threats that each pitch gives you: Mitchell

Mitchell further highlighted that each track is bound to throw some challenges and sticking to certain strategies is the way to go.

“Every country has its different challenges. It’s understanding the threats that each pitch gives you and finding ways to negate that, but also putting pressure back on the bowlers. You’ve got to be confident in your plans and try to repeat them for long periods of time. That’s the nature of playing spin over here. Every country has its different challenges. It’s understanding the threats that each pitch gives you and finding ways to negate that, but also putting pressure back on the bowlers,” he said.

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The MCA Stadium, with its characteristic black soil, is expected to offer low bounce and deteriorate rapidly, hence it remains to be seen how the Black Caps adjust their gameplay.