Chennai, February 17 – Stand-in captain Daryl Mitchell praised New Zealand's depth after the Black Caps cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Canada at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, securing their spot in the Super 8s.
Chasing 174, New Zealand recovered from a shaky start at 30/2, with Glenn Phillips' unbeaten 76 and Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 59 forming a match-winning partnership of over 100 runs.
Commenting on the early dismissals of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, Daryl, who captained in place of Mitchell Santner, said, "We have confidence in everyone in the team. We definitely had strong batsmen at the top who performed well. It's the nature of our team that we know we have a deep batting lineup, and everyone can contribute on any given day."
Daryl also praised Canada's 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra, who scored 110 to help Canada reach 173/4.
"He played really well, and I think, on that pitch, it was a great effort by our team. But I have to give him credit. He played exceptionally well," Mitchell said.
Commenting on the pitch and the atmosphere, he added, "I thought it was a fantastic pitch. I enjoy playing here at Chepauk. Of course, many of us have been part of the CSK family here over the years. So, we love playing in front of these crowds."
On Santner's fitness, he noted, "He has been feeling a bit unwell, but he seems to be improving as the day goes on. But yes, I think he will be fine for the next match."
Looking ahead to the Super 8s, Mitchell said, "I'm really excited to get to Colombo tomorrow and prepare for the Super 8s. This is the first milestone we wanted to achieve in this tournament. And now we will look forward to the upcoming games."
New Zealand's emphatic chase, powered by a strong middle-order partnership, further solidified their position as one of the tournament's favorites, bouncing back strongly from their defeat to South Africa.
