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New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell turned out to be the kryptonite to India’s left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. Mitchell nullified the impact of Kuldeep throughout the three-ODI series. After winning the ‘Player of the series’ for two centuries and a fifty, Mitchell called Kuldeep ‘world class’. He revealed that New Zealand had already planned to attack the wrist spinner putting him under pressure straight away.
"Kuldeep is world-class. There's a reason we try to put him under pressure — when he bowls well, he sets up their whole attack. He can spin the ball both ways and I still think he has a massive role to play for India in the future," Mitchell said in the post-match press conference.
Kuldeep struggles against Kiwis
On January 18 in the series decider, Mitchell faced the first delivery from Kuldeep. He danced down the track and hit the ball over Kuldeep's head for a massive 83-metre six. The wrist spinner bowled six overs, conceded 48 runs and claimed one wicket. In the series, Kuldeep managed to take three wickets. In the previous ODI, the 31-year-old conceded 82 runs from his quota of 10 overs and managed to take one wicket.
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Kuldeep vs Mitchell in ODI series
In the recently-concluded ODI series, Mitchell faced 64 deliveries from Kuldeep and scored 88 runs. His strike rate against Kuldeep was 137.5. Only 18 of these deliveries were dot balls. The Kiwi batting all-rounder hit him for four sixes.
Overall in ODIs, Mitchell averages 92 against Kuldeep. Last year, Kuldeep got the better of Mitchell, keeping his strike rate to 50.
"I am very grateful for the time I spent in Chennai, and also in Rajasthan. Hopefully, I'll be back here a few more times in the future. India is a great place to tour. Playing in front of these fans is very special."
Mitchell credits IPL experience
From three innings, Mitchell scored 352 runs at an average of 176 and strike rate of 110.34. The 34-year-old credited his Indian Premier League (IPL) experience for his ODI success in India.
"I am very grateful for the time I spent in Chennai, and also in Rajasthan. Hopefully, I'll be back here a few more times in the future. India is a great place to tour. Playing in front of these fans is very special," he said.
Mitchell has been unsold in previous two auctions. In 2024 auction, he was roped in for Rs 14 crore by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He had registered at a base price of Rs 2 crore but did not find any takers in the mini-auction.
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