Mitchell, who had been unstoppable through the innings, was “pushed out of the park” by the former India captain, capturing the frustration and awe of everyone on the field.
Indore: Virat Kohli’s playful reaction after New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell was dismissed summed up the nightmare the right-hander has become for India during the ODI match here on Sunday.
Mitchell, who had been unstoppable through the innings, was “pushed out of the park” by the former India captain, capturing the frustration and awe of everyone on the field.
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Coming in at 58/3 in the second over after India’s openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls fell early, Mitchell bided his time before unleashing a devastating assault on the tiring Indian bowlers. He brought up his 9th ODI century and his fourth against India in just 11 innings, scoring 137 off 131 balls with 15 fours and three sixes.
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Mitchell shared a 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Glenn Phillips, who also scored a century (106 off 88 balls), marking the first instance of two New Zealand batters hitting hundreds in the same ODI innings against India. Their stand was just shy of the record 221-run fourth-wicket partnership between Tom Latham and Kane Williamson at Auckland in 2022.
Though Mitchell looked poised for a double hundred, Mohammed Siraj finally ended his innings. Kohli’s on-field response highlighted just how challenging Mitchell has become for India.
This series was yet another display of Mitchell’s dominance over India: he has amassed 741 runs in 13 matches at an average of 74.10, with four centuries and two fifties. His consistency in India is remarkable, with four ODI centuries in the country—tying Nathan Astle for the most by a New Zealand batter.
In the three-match series, Mitchell scored 352 runs at an average of 176.00 with a strike rate exceeding 110, becoming the highest run-getter for New Zealand. India had started strongly with pacers Arshdeep Singh (3/63) and Harshit Rana (3/84) reducing New Zealand to 58/3. But Mitchell and Phillips’ merciless counterattack took the visitors to 337/8 in 50 overs, aided by late fireworks from Michael Bracewell (28* off 18 balls) and Kristian Clarke (11 off 5 balls).
Published: 18 Jan 2026, 07:21 pm IST
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