Daryl Mitchell has hit a purple patch when it comes to his white-ball batting. While we have seen the best of him in ODIs, Mitchell has been an unassuming contributor for the Black Caps in T20Is too. The evidence of this was on show during the league game against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday (February 14).
Unlike ODIs where he bats at a more pivotal no.4 spot as a bridge between the top order and lower middle order, Mitchell's role in the shortest format has been of a finisher. However, it is a role that's only recently been given to him by New Zealand. Traditionally, Mitchell has preferred to bat at no.4 or at the most, no.5 even in T20 cricket.
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Regardless, Mitchell has adapted his game seamlessly across ODIs and T20Is. In the 50-over game, Mitchell has begun the year with a bang, registering scores of 84, 131* and 137 in the three-match series in India. By virtue of his stupendous consistency since January 2025, Mitchell is currently the top-ranked batter in ODIs.
Mitchell overtook Virat Kohli who had briefly regained the no.1 rank for a week before losing it to the New Zealand batter. In T20Is, Mitchell has already tallied 182 runs from seven innings with a strike-rate in excess of 173.33. These are excellent numbers for a lower middle order batter who hasn't historically been a finisher.
Mitchell chipped in with a 24-ball 32 against South Africa in Ahmedabad and crucially, added an invaluable stand of 74 for the fifth wicket with Mark Chapman (48 off 26). The duo came together with New Zealand struggling at 64/4 and stitched a counterattacking partnership to drag the Black Caps into a position of reasonable safety.