Rajkot, Jan 14 (NationPress) Daryl Mitchell’s remarkable unbeaten score of 131 eclipsed KL Rahul’s impressive 112 not out as New Zealand clinched a series-tying seven-wicket win against India in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Wednesday. On a challenging two-paced pitch, India managed to post 284/7, largely thanks to Rahul’s composed innings of 112 not out from 92 balls, marking his eighth century in ODIs.

In pursuit of 285, the visitors faced early challenges, finding themselves at 46/2. Nevertheless, Mitchell and Will Young orchestrated a significant recovery with a formidable partnership of 162 runs off 152 balls for the third wicket. They skillfully maintained the required run rate, rotating the strike and capitalizing on loose deliveries, effectively nullifying India’s attack as the pitch became more favorable under lights.

Although Young fell for 87 off 98 balls, adorned with seven boundaries, Mitchell pressed on to achieve his eighth ODI century, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. His assault on Kuldeep Yadav was particularly stunning. He received solid support from Glenn Phillips, who remained not out on 32 off 25 balls.

Having previously scored centuries in losing efforts against India, Mitchell ensured his contribution led New Zealand to victory, striking the winning runs with 15 balls to spare.

India's new-ball bowlers threatened early dominance, with Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana capitalizing on seam movement to reduce New Zealand to 46/2 by the 13th over. Devon Conway was dismissed by Rana for 16, while Henry Nicholls fell for 10 after being bowled by Prasidh Krishna.

Rana's challenging lengths created discomfort, but Young and Mitchell demonstrated remarkable poise to rebuild the innings. The turning point occurred when Mitchell targeted Kuldeep Yadav, smashing a six and a four in his first over, which set the tone for a challenging outing for him and Ravindra Jadeja as the pitch flattened out.

Young achieved his first fifty in 12 ODI innings with an elegant shot through point off Krishna but fell short of a century, top-edging a pull off Kuldeep.

India's fielding errors exacerbated their struggles, with Jadeja misfielding in the 36th over and missing a straightforward run-out chance of Mitchell. Krishna also dropped a simple catch off the same batsman.

Phillips' steady innings ensured no late complications as Mitchell fittingly concluded the match with an audacious ramp shot over the wicketkeeper, finishing flat on his back in a comprehensive win for New Zealand. The series now heads to Indore for what promises to be an exciting series decider on Sunday.

Earlier, India’s openers navigated a challenging new-ball spell from Kyle Jamieson to reach 57 without loss at the end of the first powerplay. However, after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell cheaply, Shubman Gill kept the scoreboard ticking, reaching a half-century off 47 balls.

However, Jamieson’s wicket of Gill triggered a collapse, with India slipping from 99/1 to 118/4. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja then steadied the innings with a cautious 73-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Rahul accelerated to register his eighth ODI hundred, which included 11 fours and a six.

New Zealand’s decision to bowl first paid dividends early, with Jamieson effectively swinging the new ball. Although Gill and Rohit hit 11 boundaries in the first 12 overs, Rohit fell for 24, slicing a cross-seam delivery to deep cover.

Gill, looking more fluent than in his previous outing, reached his 18th ODI fifty but was dismissed by Jamieson, caught at mid-on for 56. This sparked a collapse as India lost Shreyas Iyer and Kohli shortly after.

Rahul stabilized the innings with beautiful drives and slices, although he lost Jadeja to Michael Bracewell’s sharp catch. As the pitch slowed and boundaries became scarce, Rahul started to accelerate, reaching his fifty with a lucky edge and even reverse-sweeping Bracewell for a boundary.

Nitish Kumar Reddy added 20 before being dismissed, while debutant spinner Jayden Lennox claimed his first international wicket by having Rana caught out.

However, Rahul continued to hit boundaries and reached his century with a six over long-on before collecting two more boundaries, lifting India past 280, which ultimately proved inadequate.

Brief Scores: India 284/7 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 112 not out, Shubman Gill 56; Kristian Clarke 3-56, Michael Bracewell 1-34) lost to New Zealand 286/3 in 47.3 overs (Daryl Mitchell 131 not out, Will Young 87; Prasidh Krishna 1-49, Harshit Rana 1-52) by seven wickets