To play international cricket at a slightly later age a blessing: Mitchell
The allrounder feels the time allowed him to understand the type of player he wanted to be; he is happy to play a similar role at CSK
By contemporary standards, Daryl Mitchell is a late bloomer, making his international debut only at 28. But since his first game in 2019, the bighitting allrounder quickly established himself as a regular for New Zealand across formats. Last year, he hit the jackpot when Chennai Super Kings shelled out ₹14 crore to secure his service in the player auction. Though he had to bide his time to make it to the big league, Mitchell saw the bright side of it.
“To play international cricket at a slightly later age is a blessing. It allowed me to learn my game at the domestic level over some time and work out not only the cricketer that I want to be and how I want to play but also the person I want to be off the field,” said Mitchell during a conversation with select media recently.
Spin-hitter
A striking aspect of his game is his ability to play spinners well despite growing up in conditions where spin doesn’t play a significant role. It was evident last year during the ODI World Cup when he scored 552 runs, often hitting the spinners down the ground.
“It’s again a blessing that it allowed me to take a while to get to these stages where I could work out how I wanted to go about things. I’m 6’3” and 100 kg, so it’s about making sure I use my size and base and finding ways to put pressure back on the spinners in my way,” explained Mitchell on how he developed his game against spin.
The 32yearold will have a crucial role for Super Kings in the middleorder and has already made an impact with both bat and ball in the first two games.
“The cool thing about batting in the middle order is it’s never the same. I can adapt to different situations, work out ways to keep extending partnerships, and put pressure back on the bowlers.
“It is something I pride myself on. Here at CSK, it’s doing that sort of 45 role, managing the middle and getting us positioned to allow the big boys at the end to try and launch it,” he added.