Captain Shubman Gill rued India's seven-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the second ODI played at the the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on January 14. Chasing a competitive target of 285, New Zealand secured victory with 15 balls to spare, riding on Daryl Mitchell's handsome century and Will Young's robust fifty. With this New Zealand levelled the three-match series at 1–1 and setting the stage for a high-stakes decider on January 18.
Shubman Gill indirectly blames Indian bowlers for India's Rajkot defeat
Gill admitted that despite their strong start in the first 10 overs, Indian bowlers failed to pick wickets in the middle over, which cost them the match. India captain also didn't shy away from admitting that they failed to post a decent target o the board.
"We couldn't pick up any wickets in the middle overs. With five fielders in, if you don't keep taking wickets in the middle overs, it becomes very difficult even if we would have added 15-20 more runs. And if you don't pick up wickets in the middle overs, it's very difficult to stop a batsman. On these kind of wickets, you know, as soon as you have a partnership, the set batsman has to make it big because it's not easy for the batsman coming in to score freely. In the end, we didn't get a decent target on the board and we bowled exceptionally well in the first 10 overs," Gill said at the post-match presentation.
ALSO READ: Gavaskar calls Rahul 'underachiever' after latter's robust ton in IND vs NZ 2nd ODI, know why
"And then the kind of start that we got in the bowling, we were trying to squeeze them down, put them under pressure, but I think they batted really well in the middle overs. In the first 10-15 overs that we bowled, the ball was doing a little bit. But I think after the 20-25 overs, the wicket maybe settled in a little bit, but I think we could have been a little bit more brave while bowling in the middle overs. We could have taken a little bit more chances. Even in the last match, we let down a couple of chances. It's one thing that, we are always, especially with this team, we are always trying to get better at fielding. It's one aspect that we're always trying to get better at. And yes, if you don't take your chances, in this format, it always makes you lose," he added.
Centurion Daryl Mitchell takes the game away from India
New Zealand's chase began on a cautious note, with Devon Conway (16) and Henry Nicholls (10) departing early to leave the visitors in a momentary spot of bother. However, Mitchell and Young quickly took control, forging a formidable 162-run partnership for the third wicket. This stand shifted the momentum decisively in New Zealand’s favor and silenced the home crowd as the two batters dictated terms against both pace and spin. Mitchell led the charge with an authoritative display, reaching his eighth ODI hundred off just 96 deliveries. He finished unbeaten on 131 from 117 balls, punctuating the performance by sealing the win with a deft scoop to the boundary. Young offered crucial support with a composed 87 before falling to Kuldeep Yadav in the 38th over, after which Glenn Phillips (32*) joined Mitchell to comfortably guide New Zealand to their highest-ever successful ODI run chase on Indian soil.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli back as no.1 ODI batter after July 2021, Rohit Sharma drops to no.3
KL Rahul's ton goes in vain
Earlier, New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell won the toss and elected to field, leading to an Indian innings defined by contrasting fortunes. The hosts began strongly with a 70-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma (24) and Shubman Gill (56), but the momentum shifted abruptly when Kristian Clarke entered the attack. Clarke’s incisive spell dismantled the middle order, claiming the crucial wickets of Rohit, Virat Kohli (23), and Shreyas Iyer (8), which left India reeling at 118 for 4.
In the face of this collapse, KL Rahul took charge with a masterful blend of tactical composure and late-innings aggression. Rahul anchored the recovery, eventually reaching his eighth ODI century and finishing unbeaten on 112 from 92 deliveries. He found support through Ravindra Jadeja, who contributed 27, and a brisk 20-run cameo from Nitish Kumar Reddy, allowing India to recover and post a competitive total of 284/7.
Despite Rahul's heroic effort, India’s bowling attack struggled for penetration as the pitch appeared to ease out under the lights. While Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana each managed to pick up a wicket, the rest of the attack was unable to consistently trouble the New Zealand batters or break the decisive Mitchell-Young partnership.
The series is now perfectly poised for a dramatic finish. With the scoreline tied at 1–1, both teams will head to Indore for a winner-takes-all encounter on January 18.