A dramatic moment lit up the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore when Virat Kohli shared a warm gesture with Daryl Mitchell after the New Zealand star’s brilliant knock finally came to an end in the three-match ODI series decider against India on January 18.
Mohammed Siraj breaks through, Kuldeep Yadav seals it as Daryl Mitchell’s dream series finally ends
The moment unfolded when Mohammed Siraj bowled a slower off-cutter that dug into the pitch. Mitchell went for a big pull shot, but the timing was not right. The ball flew off the top edge and went high towards deep backward square leg.
Kuldeep Yadav ran in from the boundary, kept his eyes on the ball despite the bright sun, got low, and completed a brilliant catch to give India a late but important breakthrough.
Virat Kohli’s gentle push for Daryl Mitchell turns heads in Indore
This catch ended Mitchell’s sensational knock of 137 runs from 131 balls, laced with 15 fours and 3 sixes against India. It also brought the curtains down on a remarkable ODI series, where Mitchell hurt India by hammering back-to-back hundreds.
As Daryl Mitchell walked back, Virat Kohli walked up to him near the boundary rope, clapped for his effort, and gently pushed him past the rope in a friendly and respectful gesture. This gesture instantly caught the attention of fans inside the stadium, and the moment went viral across social media.
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) January 18, 2026
Record-breaking run feast for Mitchell
Meanwhile, Daryl Mitchell has absolutely owned India in the ongoing three-match ODI series, rewriting New Zealand’s record books in the process. The right-handed batter racked up 352 runs, making it the highest ever total by a New Zealand player in a three-match ODI bilateral series.
The 34-year-old also entered an elite New Zealand list. His knock of 137 runs in Indore has become the fourth-highest individual score by a New Zealand batter against India in the 50-over format. Tom Latham still holds the top spot with an unbeaten 145 in Auckland in 2022.
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Michael Bracewell follows with 140 in Hyderabad in 2023, while Devon Conway scored 138 in Indore in 2023. Mitchell dominates the chart with multiple big scores against India. Before the Indore knock, he had earlier scored 134 at the Wankhede in 2023, 131* in Rajkot in 2026, and 130 in Dharamsala.
Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell make history against India in Indore
On the other hand, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell put on a spectacular partnership of 219 runs off just 186 balls for the fourth wicket in the ODI series decider against India in Indore. This stand is now the second-highest for the fourth wicket or lower against India in ODIs, just behind the 221* run partnership between Kane Williamson and Tom Latham in Auckland in 2022.
What makes this stand even more special is that it’s the first time two New Zealand batters have scored centuries in the same ODI innings against India. Additionally, this is the second biggest partnership for New Zealand against India.
The record for the highest partnership still belongs to Tom Latham and Kane Williamson, who scored 221 not out in Auckland in 2022. Other big stands include Latham and Ross Taylor’s 200-run partnership at Wankhede in 2017 and Scott Styris and Taylor’s 190-run stand in Dambulla in 2010.
