Rajkot, Jan 14 (IANS) New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell said he relished the opportunity to play for his country and contribute to the side’s seven-wicket win over India in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, adding that the chance to play international cricket is always pretty cool.

Player of the Match Mitchell hit a superb unbeaten 131 off 117 balls to guide New Zealand to a series-levelling seven-wicket victory over India, while sharing a commanding 162-run stand off 152 balls for the third wicket with Will Young, who hit 87.

“It’s really nice to get the win. We haven’t won here for a couple of years now. Nice for a younger group to see that you can challenge some of the best in the world. I’m just enjoying doing my job for my country. I love playing for New Zealand, and any time you get the chance, it’s pretty cool.

“Youngy (Will Young), he’s a class player, and I love batting with him. It was good fun out there. We had a bit of fun, but we also enjoyed getting the contest as well,” Mitchell said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Having scored hundreds against India in losing causes previously, Mitchell ensured his knock carried New Zealand home this time, finishing with a flourish and striking the winning runs to close the chase with 15 balls remaining. His takedown of Kuldeep Yadav was impressive, thus becoming a crucial factor in New Zealand’s clinical win.

“I think he’s one of the best bowlers in the world. He can turn it both ways. He’s got amazing skills. For us, it’s trying to read situations and adapt to different situations. We knew, with the balance of their bowling attack, that he’s going to be a massive bowler for them.

“Trying to find ways to put pressure on him – I think he is one of the best in the world, and he’s had a lot of success. That’s my job as one of the senior batters on the side. Once you get in, you want to make the most of it and help us win games of cricket. So, it’s always nice,” he added.

Young said the partnership with Mitchell was built on communication and timing. “It was hugely satisfying, but more satisfying was to get the win and share that partnership with Daryl was great fun. We kept each other going; in the end, we did enough to create a platform to then finish it off,” he said.

On tackling India’s spinners, Young added, “India have two great spinners, Jadeja as well, so the first challenge was against him, Daryl and I got into a bit of a flow, and the rate was around 7 when Kuldeep came on, so we thought there’s an opportunity here to score and put some pressure back on them. We backed a few different shots within the partnership, but it came off, and that was pleasing.”

Young stated the chase was timed well and reflected on the broader significance of the win. “We didn’t know it was a record chase or anything. After scoring 300 in the first game, we actually thought 285 was a nice number. It gave us the chance to soak up pressure at different times and put it back on India at different times – and in the end, we managed to time the chase pretty well.

“You go through the different phases of a partnership – sometimes it’s hard to score, sometimes it’s slightly easier – but I think you have to be honest with your partner. If you communicate clearly what you want to do, sort of bounce ideas off each other, you normally come to a middle ground somewhere, and that’s what Daryl and I managed to do,” he said.

The series decider will now be played in Indore on Sunday, and Young said he enjoyed the experience of playing international games in India. “I will be honest with you, the Black Caps have never won a one-day series here. We came really close in the first game; we got a sniff, so it was just getting fired up to win a game for New Zealand.

“If there are runs to my name at the end of it, then brilliant, but as I said before, the partnership with Daryl, which I really enjoyed, and it was nice to be playing in India. Obviously packed crowds, it is the home of cricket in a way, incredibly exciting to be a part of,” he said.

–IANS

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