New Zealand middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell scored his fifth ODI hundred on Sunday in the ongoing Match 21 of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Dharamsala.
Mitchell reached triple figures in just 96 balls with the help of seven fours and four sixes to continue his fine run with the bat for the Kiwis in this tournament.
Mitchell came in when his team was struggling at 19 for 2 in the 9th over and then forged a massive 159-run partnership with young Rachin Ravindra to bail New Zealand out of troubled waters.
Mitchell and Ravindra mixed caution with aggression to put the Indian bowlers, especially Kuldeep Yadav, under pressure for the first time in this tournament.
Mitchell was particularly aggressive against chinaman Kuldeep, who was taken to the cleaners consistently by the right-handed batter.
Mitchell is the second New Zealand batter to score a World Cup hundred against India and the fourth overall to achieve the feat while batting at No.4 or below. He is also the first batter to score a ton against India in this edition.
The 32-year-old now has five ODI centuries and 4 fifties in just 30 innings in the format. Mitchell has been one of the most prolific batters across formats in the last couple of years in world cricket.
His partnership with Ravindra not only rescued the innings but also put New Zealand on course for a total close to 300. Ravindra unfortunately, couldn't carry on to get his second hundred and was dismissed for 75 by Mohammed Shami.
