Mitchell bests Kohli to complete uplifting rankings climb

Thursday, 22 January 2026 04:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kohli was the hosts’ last remaining realistiWhen Daryl Mitchell stood under a skied Virat Kohli drive, he quite fittingly had New Zealand’s hopes of securing their first bilateral series win in India resting squarely in his hands.

c avenue to completing an improbable series-saving run chase.

But Mitchell stood confidently inside the long on boundary, and stood firm. He secured the catch, just like he has seemingly grabbed every other opportunity he’s been made to earn since bursting onto the international scene more recently than what logic would indicate.

It was Daryl Mitchell’s ninth ODI ton that had put the Black Caps in a winning position earlier that day, with the series in the balance at 1-1 going into the decider in Indore.

When the 34-year-old completed a quick single to achieve this latest milestone, he would also become the fourth-fastest male to nine ODI hundreds of all time, coming in just his 54th batting innings, sitting behind only Imam-ul-Haq (48), Hashim Amla (52), and Quinton de Kock (53).

Coming with New Zealand’s historic win was a similarly rare feat; overshadowing a Kohli century-making moment in India. Kohli was the home side’s main point of resistance, smashing 124 off 108 deliveries. His knock was bettered only by Mitchell’s himself, who belted 137 from 131 balls.

The Hamilton product is in the form of his life, scoring 352 runs across the three-game series. He was Player of the Match in game two as well, scoring an unbeaten 131 off 117 balls to help the Black Caps first level the series they would go on to win. And in a losing effort in game one, Mitchell was also the Kiwis’ top-scorer in that contest as well, hitting 84 off 71.

His series total (352 runs) is the most ever by a New Zealander in a three-match ODI series and the third-most of all time, behind only Pakistan’s Babar Azam (360 against the West Indies in 2016) and India’s Shubman Gill (360 against New Zealand in 2023).

Mitchell’s two consecutive scores of 130-plus not only puts him level with Martin Guptill for the most in New Zealand’s ODI history (four), but it also rounds out his meteoric rise to top spot in the ICC’s ODI Batting Rankings.