Daryl Mitchell 131* forces series decider in Indore

Daryl Mitchell led a clinical chase with an uneaten 131 as New Zealand pipped India by seven wickets to force a weekend decider in Indore. KL Rahul's 112* helped India to a competitive 284 from a precarious 118/4 at one stage, but Mitchell put on 162-runs for the third-wicket with Will Young (87) to help New Zealand overcome early setbacks and level the three-match ODI series in Rajkot.

The visitors' chase to snap an eight-match losing run against India in ODIs began with an early blow when Harshit Rana clean-bowled Devon Conway for 16. Henry Nicholls fell for 10, dragging one back onto his stumps off Prasidh Krishna, his departure brought Mitchell to the crease. From 46/2 in the 13th over, the defiant third-wicket stand completely shifted the momentum in New Zealand's favour.

While Young played with poise, making a composed 87 off 98 balls, Mitchell was the aggressor, regularly finding the ropes to keep the required rate under control. India attack found little assistance from the pitch under the lights as the dew began to take effect. Mitchell broke the shackles after a four-over boundary drought to take on Kuldeep with a six and a four before bringing up his second successive fifty, in 52 balls.

Mitchell survived a run-out scare on 80, and on the very next delivery he was dropped by Prasidh Krishna at long-off in what was Kuldeep's seventh over. Even when the spinner finally broke the stand by dismissing Young in the 38th over, New Zealand remained firmly in the driver's seat as Mitchell continued his extraordinary run of form against India. He reached his eighth ODI century off just 96 deliveries.

Joined by Glenn Phillips, who contributed a brisk unbeaten 32 off 25 deliveries, Mitchell ensured there were no further hiccups. He finished the game in spectacular fashion, executing a trademark ramp shot over the keeper for four to remain unbeaten on 131 off 117 balls. New Zealand reached the target of 286/3 with 15 balls to spare, marking their highest-ever successful ODI chase against India on Indian soil.

Earlier, Rahul's fine 112, and death-overs acceleration, steered India to a competitive total of 284/7. After being invited to bat first on a surface that proved not the easiest for stroke-making, India relied on Rahul's unbeaten knock to recover from a middle-order slump that threatened to derail their innings.

The start was uncharacteristically cautious as the New Zealand pacers, led by Kyle Jamieson and Zakary Foulkes, exploited early movement to keep Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill quiet. India managed only 10 runs in the first-five overs before the openers broke the shackles, accelerating to reach 57/0 by the end of the Powerplay. Rohit fell for 24, caught off Kristian Clarke, but Gill continued his fine form to reach a fluent 56 off 53 balls. However, his dismissal - a pull shot caught at midwicket off Jamieson - kicked off a period of New Zealand dominance.

The visitors' spin duo of Michael Bracewell and debutant Jayden Lennox applied the brakes on scoring, leading to a staggering 10-over boundary drought. During this phase, India's middle order struggled to adapt; Shreyas Iyer (8) and Virat Kohli (23) both perished cheaply to Clarke, leaving the hosts reeling at 118/4. Clarke was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3/56.

Rahul, in at no. 5, initially focused on weathering the storm alongside Ravindra Jadeja. The pair added 73 runs for the fifth wicket, with Rahul eventually breaking the boundary drought in the 28th over with a charge against Glenn Phillips. While Jadeja (27) fell to a return catch by Bracewell, Rahul began to shift through the gears. He found an able partner in Nitish Kumar Reddy, who contributed a quick 20 in a 57-run stand that revived the Indian innings.

The final ten saw much-needed acceleration from Rahul. From a strike rate below 100 for much of his stay, he raced to his eight ODI century off just 87 balls with a towering six over long-on against Jamieson. His unbeaten knock helped India plunder 85 runs from the last-ten overs, but the middle-overs slump eventually proved costly.

Brief scores:India 284/7 in 50 overs (KL Rahul 112*, Shubman Gill 56; Kristian Clarke 3-56) lost to New Zealand 286/3 in 47.3 overs (Daryl Mitchell 131*, Will Young 87) by 7 wickets