INDORE, Jan 23 (PTI): New Zealand might be without some of their senior players, including skipper Kane Williamson, but all-rounder Daryl Mitchell feels the tour of India is helping the Black Caps try out new formations and different balances.
Besides Williamson, New Zealand are without the services of pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee, while coach Gary Stead has also given the white-ball series a miss.
“Not having Kane here I think is a great opportunity for the group to test out some new formations and different balances and give some of the guys the experience of playing in India.
“I think it’s a great chance for us to keep building to where we want to be as a group,” Mitchell said on the eve of the third ODI here.
New Zealand trail the three-match series 0-2.
The top-order has struggled immensely to contribute runs. In the opener, the Kiwis seemed down and out at 131-6, before number seven Michael Bracewell played a blinder to almost take them over the line.
However, Bracewell could not repeat the feat as the visitors were skittled out for a paltry 108 in the second match, in Raipur. But Mitchell is not thinking too much about last Saturday’s performance.
“Everyone knows that games of cricket like the other day (second ODI) happen, it’s the nature of the game, you lose the toss and get out on a slightly challenging surface.
“As a group, we are pretty liberal we don’t run the highs too much or the lows. Just stay consistent. So, I’m really excited about tomorrow,” he added.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled to be played in India later this year, New Zealand will be keen to pick up at least one win to boost their morale.
“For us, it’s about adapting to the situations out here, communicating as a group especially the opening partnerships, what the surface is doing and how we want to go about it,” Mitchell added.
