India vs New Zealand Highlights, 2nd ODI: Daryl Mitchell's heroics lead Kiwis to series-levelling victory

India drafted in seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as New Zealand won the toss and opted to field in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Wednesday. The hosts currently lead the three-match series 1-0, having registered a win in the opening ODI in Vadodara.

Reddy comes into the playing XI following Washington Sundar’s exclusion from the remainder of the series. The off-spin all-rounder was sidelined after sustaining a left rib injury and will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team.

Reflecting on the toss and conditions, India captain Shubman Gill said, “We would actually have preferred to bat first, based on the last few games here. Even yesterday there wasn’t much dew, and the players feel the surface tends to slow down as the innings goes on, so batting first looked the better option. Personally, I felt really good in the last game - the rhythm and fluency were there, and it’s always nice to contribute. Hopefully I can build on that and produce a big one today.”

Gill also underlined the importance of the middle overs in the series opener, adding, “The middle overs were crucial for us last time. They got off to a decent start, but the way we pulled things back – especially with the fast bowlers picking up wickets in those overs – made a big difference. It’s not always easy in these conditions, but they mixed up their pace and variations really well.”

New Zealand, on the other hand, handed a debut to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox, who replaces leg-spinner Adithya Ashok in the XI. Assessing the pitch and conditions, New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell said, “It looks like a really good surface, and hopefully the dew comes into play later in the evening, which should make things a bit nicer for batting under lights.”

Bracewell also reflected on the narrow defeat in the first ODI and the challenge of playing in India, saying, “The last game was a tight one and I was proud of how the boys fought right till the end. We gave ourselves a chance with a couple of late wickets, and today we’re looking to keep taking wickets through the middle and build that pressure.”

Highlighting the experience for his young side, he added, “We’ve got a lot of young players in this side, and playing in front of big crowds and all that noise is a great learning experience for them. It’s different conditions for us here, especially with 40,000 people backing the home side, but it’s a challenge we’re really excited about.”

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson, and Kristian Clarke