IND vs NZ, 2nd ODI, 2025-26, Highlights: Daryl Mitchell’s composed knock (131*) guides New Zealand to victory and levels the series 1-1.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 286/3 (Daryle Mitchell 131*, Will Young 87, Prasidh Krishna 1/49) beat India 284/7 (KL Rahul 112*, Shubman Gill 56, Kristian Clarke 3/56) by 7 wickets.
Player of the Match: Daryl Mitchell (131*).
Post India’s nervy four-wicket victory in the opening ODI in Vadodara, the focus shifted to the second ODI of the three-match series. At the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, the hosts sought to seal the series, while New Zealand aimed to make a strong return.
The Blackcaps’ captain, Michael Bracwell, called right at the toss and decided to chase, disregarding the venue record of four successful defences in as many games. They had hoped the evening dew would come into play on a surface that had looked far more batting-friendly earlier in the afternoon.
Both sides made one change each. India were forced to bring Nitish Kumar Reddy into the eleven in place of injured Washington Sundar. Meanwhile, the visitors replaced leg-spinner Adithya Ashok with debutant left-arm spinner Jaydev Lennox.
Talking point: Kristian Clarke’s middle over heroics hamper India’s batting
One of India’s strengths in the ODI format is their strong batting. But Kristian Clarke used the surface brilliantly with pace variations to pick up three vital wickets. After drawing the first blood with Rohit Sharma’s wicket, he came back into the middle overs to bag two incredibly crucial wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.
Shreyas Iyer didn’t get the desired elevation, while Virat Kohli dragged the angled delivery onto the stumps. That was when they lost the momentum after a strong platform.
Read More: IND vs NZ, 2025-26, 1st ODI: India almost mess up 301 chase, but prevail in the end; go 1-0 up
KL Rahul’s 112* rescues India to 284-7 after sluggish start
India’s first innings could have been divided into three parts. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill took them to a decent start with the 70-run stand. But once the ball got a bit older, the spinners got grip, creating trouble for the batters. The hosts lost their plot in the middle with 3-19 in around seven overs.
That was when KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja put up a fine 73-run stand for the fifth wicket. The all-rounder showed incredible discipline along with running between the wickets when the big shots were hard to come by.
The Karnataka batter’s smooth transition in putting the feel on the accelerator saw Rahul celebrate his eighth ODI century. With 85 runs in the last 10 overs, India fired their way to 284-7 in their allotted 50 overs.
Read More: Are India carrying Ravindra Jadeja in the ODI format?
Daryl Mitchell’s 131* seals New Zealand’s seven-wicket win to level series at 1-1
New Zealand didn’t get a sweet start in the chase, losing both in-form openers inside the first 13 overs. Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls got under edges onto the stumps, which proved the uneven bounce of the surface. However, just when India thought of putting enormous pressure on the tourists, Daryl Mitchell and Will Young stood up. They rescued the Kiwis to 208-3 in 38 overs, thanks to the third wicket partnership of 162 runs.
Despite the wicket, Mitchell didn’t allow the game to drift away from their hands. His unbeaten 131 completes the seven-wicket chase, besides a contribution from Glenn Phillips’ 32*. New Zealand level the series at 1-1.
Statistical Highlights from India vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI, Rajkot
- Rohit Sharma becomes the third leading ODI run-getter (1032) among openers against New Zealand. He overtakes Sourav Ganguly (1027) to earn the third spot.
- Virat Kohli (1773) overtakes Sachin Tendulkar (1773) to become the second leading ODI run-getter against New Zealand. Ricky Ponting sits at the top with 1971 runs.
- Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s opening partnership tally (715) overtakes Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly’s tally (712) in ODIs against New Zealand.
- KL Rahul equals Suresh Raina to notch up the joint third-most ODI centuries (3) at number five for India. Yuvraj Singh leads the chart with seven centuries.
- Kristian Clarke finishes with the second-best bowling figures (3-56) among pacers at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. South Africa’s Morne Morkel sits at the top with 4-39 in 2015.
- Since making his ODI debut, Harshit Rana has the second-most wickets (6) for India in the powerplay phase (overs 1-10). Arshdeep Singh leads the list with 7 scalps.
- Daryl Mitchell (6) overtakes Kane Williamson (5) to record New Zealand’s second-most away ODI centuries.
- Daryl Mitchell (513) overtakes Tom Latham (480) to become New Zealand’s second leading run-getter in India. Nathan Astle leads the chart with 526 runs.
Read More: Virat ‘Run Machine’ Kohli gets fifth fifty-plus score in five straight ODI innings
What’s next
New Zealand’s seven-wicket victory brings excitement for the third and final encounter of the series, which is now poised at 1-1. The decider will take place on January 18 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
Top Twitter Reactions from IND vs NZ, 2nd ODI, Rajkot, 2025-26:
Daryl Mitchell is easily one of the most cerebral cricketers going around, maximises his potential using his wonderful game awareness.
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 14, 2026
Case in point : One of the rare batters that is prepared to step down the wicket to spinners like Varun, Kuldeep etc.
Steps out hits Kuldeep… pic.twitter.com/qi1ZxeLTAk
KL Rahul, like Rahul Dravid, gets difficult tasks. Opening in Test, slip catcher, stand-in skipper, wicket-keeper, finisher in ODIs. And now scores a hundred when playing anchor when top-order fails to fire in Rajkot. What a selfless cricket. Always puts his hand up.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 14, 2026
The guy who made his ODI debut at the age of 30.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 14, 2026
Now sitting at ICC number 2 ranking. Playing spin such ease,
Making Indian bowlers sweat regularly. This is Daryl Mitchell for you. Brilliant 100 this.
Masterly century by Daryl Mitchel. Tamed the Indian bowlers with superb skills and terrific game sense. He’s been a stellar performer in the past few years but hasn’t quite got the plaudits he deserves
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 14, 2026
India’s catching is a serious concern!
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 14, 2026
Catching efficiency is 70 percent which is worst in top teams.
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