Mitchell’s 131 Seals NZ Win

Daryll Mitchell’s unbeaten 131 for New Zealand, serving to his facet obtain their biggest ODI chase ever on the Indian subcontinent as they defeated India by 7 wickets, leveling the 3-match ODI collection at 1-1, at Rajkot on January 14, 2026. They chased 284/7 with 15 balls to spare, after changing a doubtlessly aggressive rating into a comparatively straightforward one to pursue.

Match Particulars

What Occurred at Niranjan Shah Stadium?

New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell gained the toss and put India in to bat on the Niranjan Shah Stadium, the place the pitch provided variable bounce and slower circumstances than traditional. KL Rahul’s preventing 112 not out off 92 balls helped India publish 284/7 after a middle-order collapse noticed them slip from 99/1 to 118/4.

Calm and Composed Centurion 💯

When the going will get powerful, the powerful will get going 😎

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/x1fEenI0xl#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @klrahul pic.twitter.com/vBEcwq73fb

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2026

Shubman Gill contributed 56 off 53 balls earlier than Kyle Jamieson’s dismissal triggered the slide that additionally claimed Shreyas Iyer (8) and Virat Kohli (23). The chase began cautiously, with New Zealand reaching 34/1 after the facility play, dropping Devon Conway to Harshit Rana.

When Henry Nicholls fell within the thirteenth over, the guests stood at 46/2, giving India hope. That’s when Mitchell and Will Younger took management, including 162 runs for the third wicket off 152 balls.

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How Mitchell Dismantled India’s Bowling?

Mitchell focused India’s spinners from the beginning, notably Kuldeep Yadav, who endured a nightmare spell of 10-0-82-1. The proper-hander rushed down the pitch, swept conventionally and reverse, and shuffled throughout his stumps to work the ball into gaps.

He smashed a six and a boundary in Kuldeep’s first over, setting the tone for what adopted. Younger supplied stable help with 87 off 98 balls, utilizing his ft successfully towards spin and executing reverse sweeps with precision.

Collectively, they cruised at simply above 5 runs an over. They had been in a position to keep the identical stage of play and by no means allowed the strain to construct. The match turned within the thirty sixth over when Kuldeep had Mitchell caught by Prasidh Krishna for 80, however Krishna dropped the ball at long-on.

He capitalized ruthlessly, reaching his eighth ODI century off 96 balls earlier than ending unbeaten on 131 from 117 deliveries, together with 11 fours and two sixes.

Why India’s Spinners Failed?

Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja, anticipated to be India’s wicket-taking choices on a useful floor, had been fully outbowled by their New Zealand counterparts. The pair conceded 126 runs from their mixed 18 overs and took only one wicket between them.

Jadeja went wicketless in his eight overs whereas going for 44 runs. In distinction, New Zealand’s spinners, debutant Jayden Lennox, Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips, allowed simply 89 runs for 2 wickets in 23 overs.

Lennox, referred to as up as Mitchell Santner’s alternative, was notably spectacular with figures of 10-0-42-1 on debut. The distinction wasn’t simply talent however execution.

Whereas Kuldeep repeatedly bowled brief regardless of directions from Rahul to flight the ball, Mitchell and Younger made India’s spinners look bizarre with their clear plans. Even when Kuldeep did flight one and induced a mishit, Krishna’s drop ensured the benefit was squandered.

When the Match Slipped Away?

India’s quick bowlers created early strain, with Harshit Rana asking questions and Mohammed Siraj producing bounce with the brand new ball. However as soon as the spinners got here on within the twenty first over, runs flowed freely.

The center overs, historically India’s power in house circumstances, turned New Zealand’s launchpad as an alternative. Kuldeep lastly broke the partnership by dismissing Younger within the thirty eighth over, and Siraj trapped Mitchell lbw subsequent ball, just for DRS to overturn the choice attributable to an inside edge.

Glenn Phillips then joined Mitchell so as to add an unbroken 44-run stand, with Phillips contributing 32 not out off 24 balls. Mitchell sealed victory in fashion, scooping the ball over the wicketkeeper’s head whereas falling backward for 4.

The win marked New Zealand’s highest profitable chase towards India in India, their earlier greatest being significantly decrease.​

What does this imply for the Sequence?

The 2 groups are tied up at one recreation all; the third match is to happen on January 18, 2026, at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. For New Zealand, this might signify their first ODI collection victory in India since they’ve had no success towards the Indians in ODIs for a very long time.

India has many considerations, together with the depth of their spin bowlers and the way constant their center order is. After the primary ODI noticed India efficiently chase 301, this match uncovered vulnerabilities when defending on slower surfaces.

Captain Shubman Gill admitted after the match that the group couldn’t decide up wickets within the center overs, making it tough regardless of 5 fielders contained in the circle. Mitchell’s type towards India stays distinctive; he now has three ODI centuries towards them, greater than towards every other group, and averages 66.66 in 10 innings towards the hosts.

His 162-run partnership with Younger was the muse of New Zealand’s triumph, proving that composure and readability can overcome supposedly tough circumstances. The dropped catch, the costly spin bowling, and one other batting collapse meant India head to Indore needing solutions to a number of issues they thought they’d solved after the opening match.

Match Scorecard

Let’s take a look on the full scorecard of each groups:

New Zealand Batting Innings

India Bowling

New Zealand Bowling

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