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Mitchell also stressed that New Zealand's preparation back home before the start of the tour was equally vital. (AP Photo)
Daryl Mitchell’s truckload of runs played a central role in New Zealand recording their first ever ODI series victory in India. Mitchell recorded scores of 84, 131 not out and 137 in the three matches, with the last two centuries coming in winning causes and helping New Zealand jumping back from being 1-0 down in the series. Mitchell has played for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League and for Chennai Super Kings in 2024 and spoke about how the experience has helped him with getting familiar with the conditions in India.
“I am very grateful for the time I spent in Chennai, and also in Rajasthan,” said Mitchell after the third ODI on Monday. “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.” Notably, though, Mitchell has gone unsold in the IPL 2026 auction and so won’t be playing in the tournament as things stand.
Mitchell also stressed that New Zealand’s preparation back home before the start of the tour was equally vital. “We spent a lot of time preparing in Lincoln and at Mount Maunganui. International cricket gives you exposure to different surfaces and different ways of scoring runs. We’re very lucky to have good preparation back home and groundsmen who help us simulate conditions,” he said.
Mitchell’s performances in this series was only the latest of a string of consistently good ODI knocks that he has played in India. In the 16 ODIs that he has played in the country, Mitchell has scored 938 runs at an average of 72.15 wiuth four centuries and three half-centuries, by far his best in any nation. Notably, he has only scored 650 runs in the 18 ODIs that he has played in New Zealand at an average of 65.00.
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