The 2nd ODI between India and New Zealand in Rajkot was a study in contrasts: India’s resilience with the bat versus New Zealand’s calm, calculated chase anchored by one of the finest ODI hundreds in recent times from Daryl Mitchell.
With New Zealand needing just 29 runs from 32 balls, the match tilted decisively in their favour, setting up a mouth-watering decider in the series.
Match Snapshot
- India: 284/7 (50 overs)
- New Zealand: 256/3 (44.4 overs) – chase in progress
- Key performers:
- KL Rahul: 112* (92)
- Daryl Mitchell: 114 (108)
- Will Young: 87 (98)
- Kuldeep Yadav: 1/— (broke the crucial stand)
KL Rahul: India’s Crisis Specialist Once Again
When India slipped from a promising start into familiar middle-overs trouble, KL Rahul played an innings that only looks better with time.
This was not a flashy hundred—it was a situational masterpiece.
Why Rahul’s knock mattered
- India were strangled by dots after the fall of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer.
- Rahul absorbed pressure through the toughest phase (overs 20–40).
- His late acceleration—25 runs in his final 13 balls—lifted India from a sub-par 255 zone into a competitive 284.
From an analyst’s lens, Rahul’s value is not just runs but run-timing. India would have been at least 30 runs short without him.
New Zealand’s Chase: Discipline Over Drama
Chasing 285 on a surface that slowed considerably was never going to be straightforward. New Zealand’s response, however, was exemplary.
The Match-Defining Partnership
The 162-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young was the spine of the chase.
- Will Young: Classical, risk-averse, content to rotate strike.
- Mitchell: Assertive without being reckless, particularly brutal against spin.
India tried pace variations, cross-seam deliveries, and defensive fields—but New Zealand refused to panic.
Daryl Mitchell’s Century: An ODI Template
Mitchell’s hundred deserves special mention—not for its speed alone, but for its control.
What stood out technically
- Minimal premeditation against spin.
- Smart use of the sweep and ramp to upset field placements.
- Rarely allowed dot-ball pressure to build.
Even when chances came—a dropped catch and a near run-out—Mitchell reset immediately. This is elite ODI batting, the kind that wins series overseas.
India’s Bowling: The Turning Point That Wasn’t
The dismissal of Will Young by Kuldeep Yadav should have been India’s opening.
Instead:
- Fielding errors crept in (uncharacteristic from Ravindra Jadeja).
- Energy dipped visibly.
- No sustained pressure followed the breakthrough.
In ODI cricket, wickets must come in clusters. India got one—and then let the game drift.
Tactical Takeaways (Expert View)
What India must rethink
- Middle-overs batting: Too static once the ball stops coming on.
- Death bowling plans: Mitchell was allowed too many low-risk boundary options.
- Fielding intensity: One dropped catch at this level often equals a match.
What New Zealand got spot-on
- Clear batting roles.
- Patience in a long chase.
- Ice-cold temperament under lights in India—a rare and valuable trait.
What This Means for the Series
A New Zealand win here doesn’t just level the series—it psychologically flips it. India dominated phases of the game, but New Zealand dominated the moments that mattered.
If this match proves anything, it’s this:
ODIs are no longer about bursts—they’re about control.
And on this night in Rajkot, New Zealand controlled the game better.
