Mitchell's unbeaten 131 powers New Zealand to ODI series-leveling win over India

RAJKOT, India (AP) — Daryl Mitchell scored 131 not out off 117 balls as New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the second one-day international to draw level in the three-match series Wednesday.

Mitchell’s eighth ODI hundred helped the Black Caps score 286-3 in 47.3 overs — in reply to India’s 284-7 (50 overs).

Will Young also scored 87 off 98 balls, as he and Mitchell put on a match-winning 162 off 152 balls for the third wicket. It was the fourth-highest third-wicket partnership for the Black Caps in ODIs.

Mitchell's century topped Lokesh Rahul’s 112 not out off 92 balls. India — put into bat — was 118-4 at one stage, before Rahul played a rescuing hand with his eighth hundred in ODIs.

Medium pacer Kristian Clarke had picked 3-56 in eight overs for the Black Caps.

India won the first ODI in Vadodara by four wickets. Indore will host the decider Sunday.

Earlier, skipper Shubman Gill scored a second consecutive half-century as India made a decent start.

Gill scored 56 off 53 balls, with nine fours and a six, as he put on 70 off 74 balls with Rohit Sharma (24).

Clarke had Sharma caught off a miscue in the 13th over as India’s progress slowed down. Later, Virat Kohli (23) also chopped onto his stumps off Clarke.

In between, Gill failed to carry on from his start while vice-captain Shreyas Iyer (8) too was caught off Clarke in the 22nd over.

Rahul then shepherded the innings as he put on vital lower-order partnerships. He added 73 off 88 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (27) and then another 57 off 49 balls with Nitish Reddy (20).

The keeper-batter reached 50 off 52 balls, and then accelerated toward the end overs to score the next 50 off 35 balls. Overall, his hundred came off 87 balls even as India ended up with a below-par score.

In reply, New Zealand did not start well. Harshit Rana bowled Devon Conway for 16, while Prasidh Krishna bowled Henry Nicholls for 10. The Black Caps were down to 46-2 in 12.4 overs.

Mitchell and Young then came together and stitched together a dominant partnership.

Young scored 50 off 68 balls — his first against India in ODIs as also a first 50-plus score in 12 innings. Mitchell too scored 50 off 52 balls.

While the Indian attack struggled with evening dew, there were also a couple late reprieves for the two batters. The pair survived a run-out chance while Mitchell also gained from a dropped catch, both in the 36th over.

“The run-rate had crept up to seven but once we got into a rhythm, we felt there was an opportunity to put pressure back onto India,” Young said. “We timed it very well. After scoring 300 in the first game, 285 felt like a very chaseable number.”

Kuldeep Yadav — expensive on the day with 1-82 in 10 overs — finally got the breakthrough in the 38th over sending back Young.

It wasn’t enough — Mitchell scored 100 off 96 balls and then sped his way to the finish line, finishing with 11 fours and two sixes.

New Zealand won with 15 balls remaining and sealed its highest ODI chase on Indian soil.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

India's KL Rahul celebrates after scoring a century during the second One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Rajkot, India, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's KL Rahul celebrates after scoring a century during the second One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Rajkot, India, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell celebrates after scoring a century during the second One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Rajkot, India, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell celebrates after scoring a century during the second One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Rajkot, India, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, left, celebrates with teammates the wicket of India's Virat Kohli during the first One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Vadodara, India, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India's Virat Kohli reacts as he leaves the field after losing his wicket during the first One Day International cricket match between India and New Zealand in Vadodara, India, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is considering whether to set aside a Trump administration order pausing the construction of a major offshore project for New York, which the developer says could mean the death of a project that’s 60% complete.

The Empire Wind project is designed to power more than 500,000 homes. Norwegian company Equinor said the project was in jeopardy due to the limited availability of specialized vessels, as well as heavy financial losses. It's one of five big offshore wind projects on the East Coast that the administration froze days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states have sued seeking to block the order.

The case was heard Wednesday by District Judge Carl J. Nichols, an appointee of President Donald Trump. Nichols ended the hearing without ruling, saying that he needed to think about it but would decide very quickly.

Nichols sharply questioned the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s written court filings, like the accusation the Trump administration didn’t follow the right procedures and acted arbitrarily.

“Your brief doesn’t even include the word arbitrary,” the judge said.

When the government said they were still contesting Empire Wind’s arguments on these points, Nichols responded, “This is not the way we do things.”

Equinor’s hearing is the second of three for these legal challenges this week; on Monday, a judge ruled that a project serving Rhode Island and Connecticut could resume.

Trump has targeted offshore wind from his first days back in the White House, most recently calling wind farms “losers” that lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds. When his administration cited national security concerns, it gave no detail for those concerns, and at least one expert has said the offshore projects were permitted following years of careful review that included the Department of Defense.

The administration's stance against offshore wind and renewable energy more broadly runs counter to dozens of other countries.

The global offshore wind market is growing, with China leading the world in new installations. Nearly all of the new electricity added to the grid in 2024 was renewable. Experts say the world needs a major buildout of renewable electricity to address climate change. The British government said Wednesday that it secured a record 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind in Europe’s largest offshore wind auction to date, enough clean electricity to power more than 12 million homes. It said that as Britain races to cut bills and meet growing energy demand, the price for offshore wind agreed to in the auction is 40% cheaper than the cost of building and operating a new gas power plant.

Molly Morris, Equinor’s senior vice president overseeing Empire Wind, said federal officials have not given them any explanation of the national security concerns or how to mitigate them.

A specialized heavy lift vessel, Heerema’s Sleipnir, must begin lifting the topside to the project’s offshore substation off the transport ship and onto its foundation because the Sleipnir is scheduled to depart by Feb. 1 for other commitments, Morris said. The topside weighs more than 3,000 tons and there are few specialized offshore wind installation ships in the world.

“Right now the project is in a critical situation,” Morris said. “Construction must resume by mid-January to avoid cascading delays that could ultimately lead to a cancellation of the project. We have been clear and consistent that we are ready to address any additional security concerns that were not already addressed through our lengthy engagement with various defense agencies.”

Monday's hearing was in the same federal court, with Danish energy company Orsted prevailing. A judge ruled that work on its project, called Revolution Wind, can resume while the administration considers ways to mitigate its national security concerns. Revolution Wind is nearly complete.

After that hearing, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the pause is meant to protect the national security of the American people, and “we look forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

The Trump administration paused leases for the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and two projects in New York: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.

The Trump administration previously halted work on both Empire Wind and Revolution Wind. In April, it stopped construction on Empire Wind, accusing the Biden administration of rushing the permits, then allowed work to resume a month later. In August, the administration paused work on Revolution Wind for what it said were national security concerns. A month later, a federal judge ruled the project could resume.

Equinor finalized the federal lease for Empire Wind in March 2017, early in Trump’s first term. The final federal approval was in February 2024. Equinor's limited liability company has spent about $4 billion to develop and construct the project.

McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

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Blades and turbine bases for offshore wind sit at a staging area at New London State Pier, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in New London, Conn. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien)

FILE - Wind turbines operate at Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - A sign for the company Equinor is displayed on Oct. 28, 2020, in Fornebu, Norway. (Håkon Mosvold Larsen/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)