Need to adapt to ‘unknown’ Dubai pitch, says NZ batter Rachin
We found ourselves adapting and playing according to situations, which we will need to do on Sunday again, says star Kiwi opener
Lahore: Dashing New Zealand opener Rachin Ravindra feels adapting to the conditions will be key to succeeding on an “unknown” Dubai surface in the Champions Trophy final against India on Sunday. Except for the group match against India in Dubai, New Zealand have played all their games in Pakistan. The Kiwis had also played two games in Lahore during the preceding tri-series involving Pakistan and South Africa. India, on the other, have played all their matches in Dubai and are familiar with the conditions.
“We don’t quite know what the Dubai pitch is. We saw in our (group) game against India the ball turning but the other day didn’t turn so much. We found ourselves adapting and playing according to situations, which we will need to do on Sunday again. “We will see in the next couple of days and hopefully it’s a good cricket wicket,” said Ravindra after an emphatic 50-run win over South Africa in the semifinal here on Wednesday.
Ravindra scored only six against India in the group, falling to Hardik Pandya while going for an uppercut, but the left-hander hopes for a better outing in the final. “You get out pretty much every time you bat. Hopefully, I can bat for a longer period of time and continue to play well for my team,” he said. He is also aware of the expectations from the side in any big ICC event.
“Whenever you approach a tournament, you expect hopefully to be among the top four teams, and lucky enough we have been consistently good over a period of time. We are happy with our preparation, coming here early, we can see we are cooking reasonably well. Trust and ability around the group is great.” Ravindra (108) smashed his second century of the tournament on Wednesday and together with Kane Williamson (102) starred in New Zealand’s win.
Senior middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell, who made 49 off 37 balls in the semifinal, said the loss to India in the group stage is a thing of the past not and the final will be a new day.
“The final is a new day and really excited to stuck into that challenge and adapt to whatever conditions and surfaces we get on the day and find ways to win moments throughout that game. “Hopefully, we can put some pressure on them and walk away with white jacket,” he said.
Mitchell is not interested in poking his nose in the talks surrounding an unfair advantage to India because of playing all their matches at one venue.
“Just really happy with winning the game today and moving onto the final, it’s an exciting opportunity,” Mitchell said.
“That’s the nature of international cricket. We do a lot of travelling and we are used to that. It’s not for me to decide how the tournament should be planned. I am just excited to be in an ICC final and looking forward to playing in a few days time.”