“One thing we can’t do is we can’t change the surface,” Mitchell said two days after the Pune Test. “So for us it’s about reacting to what comes and adapting on the fly. As New Zealanders, that’s our pride, being locked in the moment, staying where your feet are and being as present as possible. We can’t change wickets. But I am confident we will come up with a plan and find a way to take 20 wickets and hopefully score a few runs as well.”
“Look, that’s the nature of the game we play, especially Test cricket,” he said. “You know, there are little patches where you score a lot of runs and then there are patches where you want to start and keep trying to convert. That’s why I love playing for New Zealand. It means so much to me to play Test cricket in loose-fitting clothes and that’s what I’m doing.” “I know that if I keep working for the team, personal milestones and things like that will take care of themselves.”
“Youngie and Rachin have been in our group for a long time, even though they haven’t played much cricket,” Mitchell said. “They were able to see how the culture works and how we wanted to play as the Black Caps, and they adapted perfectly to their roles.
“Will O’Rourke, he’s a young prospect. He’s from our domestic team back home, so I’ve had to face him in the nets a few times and it’s not very fun. So look, he’s a great talent and I think he’ll do amazing things for New Zealand in the future. I am confident that we will continue.”
“He’s a big unit first and foremost,” Mitchell said. “He’s tall and he bowls high, but he can also send the ball both ways, which is always difficult, especially at Christchurch Hagley (Oval). There’s a bit of bounce on that wicket, so as you can imagine, he’s quite tough at times. “But you see, he is also a great person more than anything else. “He doesn’t talk much, but when he does he’s quite interesting and he’s a great person to be around.”
