Daryl Mitchell (Source: X/Twitter)
New Zealand would be the happier side at the end of Day 1 of the third and final Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, November 1, as the hosts are trailing by 149 runs, having already lost four wickets in their first innings.
One of the standout performers for the Kiwis on Day 1 was the experienced Daryl Mitchell, who fought his way through the sultry conditions at the iconic venue to score an important 82 off 129 balls. His 87-run partnership with Will Young (71) helped New Zealand put on 235 runs on a tricky surface after the Tom Latham-led side won the toss and opted to bat first. After his excellent knock under pressure, Mitchell said that the tourists comprise a bunch of Kiwis looking to take on the world and enjoying their game as they look to win matches for their nation.
“We’re just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world, having fun, and trying to win games for our country. Hopefully, we can just keep chipping away like Kiwis do, and we’ll see what happens over the next few days,” he said after the end of play on Day 1.
The game is evenly poised right at the moment: Mitchell
India finished Day 1 in a spot of bother as they lost four wickets for 86 runs. The four wickets were of Indian captain Rohit Sharma, in-form batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, the legendary Virat Kohli, and nightwatchman Mohammed Siraj. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant took their team through to Stumps.
While many experts and fans feel that the Blackcaps have their noses in front at the end of Day 1, Mitchell rejected this school of thought and asserted that the game is hanging in the balance. The all-rounder said that New Zealand has put runs on the board and will want to take a few more wickets on Day 2 to peg India further back.
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“We put a total on the board (and) hopefully now we can take a few more wickets. We’ll see what happens tomorrow (day two). The game is evenly poised right at the moment,” said Mitchell.
“It’s the nature of red soil here in this part of the world. It’s going to have a bit of bounce and a little bit of turn. We knew what we were expecting when we showed up this morning,” he further added.