New Zealand defeated India by eight wickets in the first Test in Bengaluru.
Team suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the first Test match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
After getting bowled out for a historic low of 46 in the first innings, India bounced back in the second dig. Riding on Sarfaraz Khan’s maiden Test ton (150) and crucial half-centuries from Rishabh Pant (99), Virat Kohli (70) and Rohit Sharma (52), the hosts racked up 462 runs on the board.
However, the Kiwis chased down the modest target of 107 with ease to claim a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series.
With the series at stake, it remains to be seen what sort of pitch India would serve for the second Test, slated to be held in Pune from October 24.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell has said that the visitors are ready to face any challenge, including a spinning track, in the second match of the series.
"Every country has its different challenges. Galle (in Sri Lanka) was a different spinning wicket again to what we'll receive here and the likes of Mumbai in the next Test as well. Different soils, different clays," said Mitchell after New Zealand's training session on Tuesday (October 22).
"It's understanding the threats that each pitch will give you and trying to find ways to negate that, but also try to find ways to put pressure back on the bowlers as well. That's the nature of playing spin over here. You've got to be confident in your plans and how you want to go about your business and try and repeat that for long periods of time," he added.
It was New Zealand’s first Test win on Indian soil after 36 years. It is a no-brainer that the hosts will look to bounce back hard, especially keeping the World Test Championship (WTC) points in mind.
India are heading the WTC table and would want to stay ahead in the final race, considering that they have a tough assignment scheduled in Australia next month.
"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," Mitchell said.
"As Kiwis, that's what we pride ourselves on is (that) we get stuck into the moment, we stay where our feet are and we be as present as possible. 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," he further remarked.
Mitchell also showered rich praise on Rishabh Pant, who played a brilliant knock of 99 despite batting with a dodgy knee in Bengaluru during India's second innings.
"Rishabh, he's a world-class player and I seriously respect how he goes about playing his cricket and it was a great partnership (with Sarfaraz Khan). But for us, we know that in Bengaluru, it's a fast-scoring ground. Where we were in the game, we knew that we just need to keep trying to take wickets, keep trying to put pressure on them," he concluded.