BATTING mainstay Daryl Mitchell said preparing at New Zealand Cricket’s specially designed pitch marquee facility at Lincoln helped him master the spin-friendly tracks in the sub-continent. Trailing by only one rating point to super star batter Virat Kohli in the ICC rankings for ODI batters, Mitchell has been in a red-hot form against India in their backyard, having notched up scores of 130, 134, 84 and 131 not out in the last four outings. The 34-year-old Mitchell produced as plen did 117-ball 131 not out here on Wednesday to defy India, powering New Zealand’s series-levellings even-wicket win in the second ODI.

 

“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,” Mitchell told reporters. “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.

 

“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,”Mitchell added. The pitch marquee facility at Lincoln help New Zealand players to recreate specific conditions ahead of any given tour, and allow them to train even during the winters. The 34-year-old has, in particular, enjoyed a lot of success in the Asian sub continent, 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.