Daryl Mitchell needs to start firing in the middle order against spinners

As Daryl Mitchell takes his seat with a filter coffee in a brass dabara set, he appears totally at home in Chennai. “It is the morning shot that I need,” says the Kiwi as he settles down. But, the only thing is, bought at Rs 14 crore at the auction, primarily for his striking abilities against spinners, Mitchell is yet to ascertain himself fully at Chennai Super Kings. After two successive away defeats as Chennai return to their den for their game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, Chennai badly need the free-flowing Mitchell back at his best.

With Ambati Rayudu not around, it didn’t come as a surprise to see CSK go big to acquire Mitchell. A bankable middle-order batsman, at the 50-over World Cup, the 32-year-old showed his power-hitting prowess against spinners. Playing mostly straight, he took attacks apart with his clean, crisp hitting. For a batsman, who grew up facing not many spinners in New Zealand, it is fascinating how his batting against the tweakers has evolved in the last three years. “I’m 6’3″ and 100 kg, so it’s about making sure I use my size, my base and finding ways to put pressure back on the spinners in my own way. We’ve got a guy called Kane Williamson who’s a pretty good player against spin and I’ve learnt a lot from him.” Mitchell said. READ MORE