As the second Test between New Zealand and India approaches, the Black Caps are preparing to adapt to a low-bounce, black-soil surface in Pune. Despite the conditions, New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell remains confident that his team can find a way to take 20 wickets and score the necessary runs to secure a win.

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Mitchell, who played a key role in the field by restricting India to just 46 runs in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test, emphasized New Zealand’s resilience and ability to adapt. Speaking to the media after the team’s practice session : 

“One thing we can't do is we can't change the surface. So for us, it's reacting to what's coming at us and adapting on the fly. We as Kiwis, that's what we pride ourselves on, we get stuck into the moment, we stay where our feet are and we be as present as possible.” ESPNcricinfo quoted Mitchell as saying.

A low-bounce surface is anticipated for the Pune Test, which is a sharp contrast to the Bengaluru Test, where New Zealand's seamers dominated.Mitchell noted that while the team can’t control the conditions, they are prepared to adapt and develop a plan that will help them succeed. “We can't change the wicket. What will be, will be. But I'm sure we'll come up with a plan and find a way to take 20 wickets and hopefully score a few runs as well,” Mitchell added.

Daryl Mitchell, known for his proactive play against spin, has been working hard to regain his form in recent matches. Despite his skills in sweeping and reverse-sweeping, he has struggled for consistency, scoring just 406 runs in nine innings since his century against Sri Lanka in Christchurch last year. Reflecting on his form, Mitchell shared, “Look, that's the nature of the game that we play, especially Test cricket. You have little patches where you score a lot of runs and patches where you get starts and want to keep trying to convert.”

In addition to discussing his own game, Mitchell took the opportunity to praise his teammates, particularly Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, and young pace bowler William O'Rourke. Mitchell shared his experience facing O'Rourke in domestic cricket, describing him as a “great talent.”

"Youngie and Rachin have been around our group for a long time even though they haven't played a lot of cricket. They've been able to see how the culture works and how we want to go about playing as Black Caps. And they've fitted seamlessly into their roles.

"Will O'Rourke, he's a young talent. He's from my domestic team back home, so I've had to face him plenty of times in the nets and it's not much fun. So look, he's a great talent and I'm sure he'll continue to do amazing thing for New Zealand in the future.

"He's a big unit first of all. He's tall, he bowls from a height but he also can get the balls to go both ways which is always a challenge especially in Christchurch at Hagley (Oval). There's a bit of bounce in those wickets, so as you can imagine it can be quite tough at times. "But yeah look, he's first of all a great man as well. He doesn't say a lot but when he does it's pretty funny and yeah, he's good to have around."