India vs NZ 2nd ODI: Mitchell magic on display as New Zealand levels series

K.L. Rahul ended his 26-month drought for an ODI hundred. But Daryl Mitchell not only overhauled Rahul’s tally (an unbeaten 112) but also earned vital support from Will Young at the other end. The duo set up a convincing seven-wicket win for New Zealand against India in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here that kept the three-match series alive heading into Sunday’s decider.

Riding on Mitchell’s eighth hundred (131 not out) and his 162-run partnership for the third wicket with Young, New Zealand overhauled the target of 285 with 15 balls to spare.

When Mitchell joined Young at the crease in the 13th over, India’s pacers had dominated the PowerPlay and kept the Kiwis in check. Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana, especially, targeted the stumps to keep Devon Conway in check and didn’t give any room for Henry Nicholls to free his arms before the duo ran out of patience.

But Mitchell charged down the wicket to tonk Kuldeep Yadav for a six in the spinner’s first over and Kuldeep preferred to bowl flatter for the rest of the evening. With Ravindra Jadeja also being largely ineffective, Mitchell and Young took control and the target never looked out of reach.

Soon after Prasidh Krishna dropped Mitchell at long-on, Young perished in an attempt to hit Kuldeep out of the park. The damage was done by then. Glenn Phillips batted seamlessly in dewy conditions before Mitchell finished the game off displaying his innovative strokeplay.

While Mitchell and Young kept the Kiwis in control, Rahul struggled for able support. He took guard in the 22nd over after a spree of soft dismissals. Rohit Sharma (unable to clear the field off a slower ball by Kristian Clarke), Shubman Gill (top-edged an attempted pull off Jamieson) and Shreyas Iyer (lofted a fuller one from Clarke straight to mid-off) were gone. In Clarke’s next over, Virat Kohli joined the club by playing one on to his stumps.

A scratchy Ravindra Jadeja helped Rahul stabilise the innings but he couldn’t afford to take too many risks with Jadeja struggling to either clear the field or rotate strike consistently. Only after Jadeja offered captain Michael Bracewell, the pick of the bowlers who bowled a tidy spell, did Rahul decide to start opening his shoulders.

After crossing the fifty towards the fag end of the second PowerPlay, Rahul cut loose in the last 10. He hammered 60 runs off the 39 balls he faced as India added 85 in the last 10 overs. The manner in which he went after debutant Jayden Lennox, the left-arm spinner, and the pacers through covers and behind the bowlers’ arm was a delight to watch. His only six – a lofted drive off a low full-toss by Jamieson, helped him complete his first ODI hundred since the 2023 World Cup.

Rahul celebrated the milestone with a gesture to dedicate it to his 10-month-old daughter, but Mitchell and Young ensured the Indian camp had little to celebrate by the end of the game.