India Vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: Mitchell, Phillips Hundreds Lift Black Caps To 337 For 8

Daryl Mitchell's second consecutive hundred and Glenn Phillips' blistering century powered New Zealand to a competitive 337 for eight despite early jolts from India’s pace attack in the series-deciding third ODI in Indore on Sunday.

Mitchell (137) and Phillips (106) stitched together a 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket that turned the innings on its head.

Calm and authoritative, Mitchell anchored the stand while Phillips provided the momentum, allowing New Zealand to shift gears after a cautious start.

India were controlling the innings at one stage, having reduced the visitors to 58 for three but Mitchell and Phillips made it a contest.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, brought in for Prasidh Krishna, made an immediate impact by removing Henry Nicholls (0) with a beauty in the opening over.

Coming closer to the off-stump, Arshdeep (3/63) shaped the ball away to perfection as Nicholls, caught in two minds, withdrew his bat late and saw the delivery take the inside edge and crash into the leg-stump.

Arshdeep and fellow seamer Harshit Rana (3/84) hit the deck hard and extracted just enough movement to keep the New Zealand batters under check early on.

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The visitors managed only 47 runs in the first 10 overs, losing both openers cheaply. Harshit dismissed Devon Conway (5) for the third straight time, inducing an edge with a back-of-a-length delivery that was safely taken in the slips.

Will Young (30) attempted to break the shackles with a six over deep backward point off Harshit but the bowler had the last laugh.

Harshit broke the 53-run stand between Young and Mitchell when the former cut firmly to the right of Ravindra Jadeja at backward point, where the Indian all-rounder took a comfortable catch.

Mitchell once again set the tone for New Zealand’s recovery by taking on Kuldeep Yadav early, launching the left-arm wrist-spinner for a towering six.

Kuldeep adjusted well thereafter, flattening his trajectory and pulling back his length to apply the brakes. Mitchell brought up his half-century with a boundary off Kuldeep when the spinner strayed down the leg side.

With the ball getting softer after the 34th over, stroke-making became harder, but the short boundaries at the Holkar Stadium encouraged risk-taking.

Mitchell continued to counter-attack, hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy for a flat six, while Phillips also took on the medium-pacer, surviving a chance when Harshit could not get close enough to a ballooned edge.

Phillips later pulled Mohammed Siraj (1/43) for a boundary and launched Arshdeep straight down the ground for a six.

Mitchell completed his hundred with a single off Jadeja, his second on the trot in the series, before Phillips went after the left-arm spinner, creaming him for a six, with Mitchell adding a four in the same 40th over as New Zealand surged to 237 for three.

India clawed their way back late with a cluster of wickets.

Siraj removed Mitchell for a well-made 137, while Arshdeep accounted for Phillips (106) and Zak Foulkes. Kuldeep chipped in by trapping Mitchell Hay lbw as New Zealand lost four wickets in quick succession.

Michael Bracewell’s (28 not out) late flourish ensured the visitors crossed the 330-run mark.