Mitchell, Young help New Zealand level ODI series with India

Rajkot: Indian spinners were out-bowled on home turf once again and KL Rahul’s unbeaten ton was eclipsed by Daryl Mitchell’s splendid 131 not out as New Zealand levelled the three-match series 1-1 with a seven-wicket win in the second ODI here on Wednesday.

New Zealand not only adapted but also executed better than India on a sluggish wicket here at the Niranjan Shah Stadium to keep the hosts to 284/7 despite Rahul’s 91-ball 112 not out (9 fours, 1 six), and overhauled the target in 47.3 overs to end at 286 for three.

The series-deciding third ODI will be played in Indore on Sunday.

Will Young and Mitchell, among the architects of New Zealand’s 3-0 Test series win over India on their previous visit, batted with poise and control even as the asking rate hovered over six an over.

They cruised at a little above five during their second-wicket association which consumed 152 balls for 162 runs, and there wasn’t any late hiccup to prevent a turnaround.

Young’s (87 from 98 balls; 7 fours) solidity in the middle was complemented by the adroitness of Mitchell, who brought out almost all kinds of sweep shots to notch up his third ton against India and overall eighth, finishing at 131 not out from 117 balls (11 fours, 2 sixes).

New Zealand’s triumph in a 50-overs match also took the spotlight back onto a problem which India have faced in Tests for about two years now, with the home team’s spin attack being outmatched by that of the visitors, albeit that's been mostly in red-ball cricket.

Debutant left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, summoned on this trip as replacement of Mitchell Santner, kept a tight leash on Indian batters returning 10-0-42-1 while Kuldeep Yadav (10-0-82-1) kept bowling short and failed to give the ball a flight despite repeated messages from Rahul behind the wickets.

And when Kuldeep did give it a flight and forced a mishit, Prasidh Krishna dropped a regulation chance at long-on in the 36th over to give Mitchell a lifeline on 80.

Kuldeep finally broke the third-wicket stand dismissing Young and Mohammed Siraj pinned Mitchell leg-before soon after, but the decision was overturned via DRS as there was an inside edge.

With Michael Bracewell also returning a tidy 1/34 from his 10 overs earlier, the collective return from visiting spinners was of 89 runs for two wickets in 23 overs including Glenn Phillips’ 3-0-13-0.

On their part, Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja (8-0-44-0) gave away 1/126 from their collective 18 overs.

New Zealand also held their ground firm when Harshit Rana (1/52) and Siraj steamed in with the new ball to create immense pressure, reaching 34/1 after the powerplay.

In particular, Rana asked the Kiwis a lot of questions and also dismantled Devon Conway’s off-stump, who had cracked three fours early on for a positive start.

Earlier, KL Rahul held a faltering innings together on a sluggish surface with a gutsy hundred.

Rahul produced a gritty unbeaten 112 off 92 balls which included 11 fours and two sixes, forging vital partnerships in the second half and snatching control from the Kiwis who had ran through India’s formidable batting line-up earlier.

New Zealand had seized control with discipline and some stroke of luck as India had slipped from 99 for one to 118 for four before the halfway mark.

The other major contribution from captain Shubman Gill (56 off 53), who collected his second half-century in as many games.

A mishit each proved to be costly for the Indian leadership pair of Gill and Shreyas Iyer (8). Gill had adjusted well to the nature of the pitch to gain pace, striking nine fours and a six over fine leg with a short-arm jab.

But he failed to read a slow and short ball rammed into the pitch by Kyle Jamieson and meekly pulled it straight to Mitchell for an easy grab at midwicket.

Iyer fell cheaply when he hit one straight off Clarke to Bracewell at mid-off.

However, silence befell on the festive crowd at the Niranjan Shah Stadium when an innocuous delivery outside the off-stump took a thick inside edge and left Virat Kohli’s (23) middle stump flattened.

Kohli had begun with a first-ball four but regular wickets at the other end perhaps affected the rhythm with which he has been batting of late, as he had tried to guide the ball behind the wickets but played it on.

With India in need of stability, local hero Ravindra Jadeja (27) walked out amid loud cheers and played his part well in a 73-run stand for the fifth wicket with Rahul.