Daryl Mitchell’s century, Will Young’s fifty power New Zealand to 7-wicket win; level series 1–1

Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten century lit up the Niranjan Shah Stadium, while Will Young’s decisive half-century gave New Zealand the backbone they needed to beat India by seven wickets in the second ODI. Chasing a competitive 285, the visitors secured victory with 15 balls to spare, leveling the three-match series at 1-1 and setting the stage for a high-stakes decider.

Mitchell Supports Young Chase

The chase in New Zealand started cautiously with the early departures of Devon Conway (16) and Henry Nicholls (10). But Mitchell and Young soon took control and put together a formidable 162-run partnership for the third wicket, which shifted the momentum decisively in New Zealand’s favour.

Mitchell led the way with an authoritative display, recording his eighth ODI hundred off just 96 deliveries. He remained unbeaten on 131 off 117 balls and secured victory with a masterful strike towards the boundary. Young provided crucial support at the other end, compiling 87 off 98 balls before falling to Kuldeep Yadav in the 38th over. Glenn Phillips (32*) then joined Mitchell to guide New Zealand to their most successful ODI run chase ever on Indian soil.

Rahul Lone Warrior for India

Earlier, New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell won the toss and chose to field. India’s innings flourished in opposite phases: Rohit Sharma (24) and Subman Gill (56) put together a solid 70-run opening stand but the middle order faltered under pressure. Kristian Clarke’s sharp spell produced wickets for Rohit, Virat Kohli (23) and Shreyas iyer (8), reducing India to 118 for 4.

KL Rahul counter-attacked with a blend of composure and aggression, reaching his eighth ODI century and remaining unbeaten on 112 off just 92 balls. Ravindra Jadeja scored 27 while Nitish Kumar Reddy added 20 in the close to help India post 284 for 7.

The Series is Ready for a Decisive End

Despite Rahul’s efforts, India’s bowling lacked penetration under the lights as the pitch grew lighter. Only prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana managed to break through and the rest of the attack failed to trouble the Mitchell-Young partnership.

With the series now tied, anticipation is building for Sunday’s decisive clash in Indore, where both sides will vie for the trophy in a winner-take-all encounter.

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