India trounce Netherlands to go to top of league table

The Indian innings was built around Kohli’s two half century partnerships first with skipper Rohit that yielded 73 runs for the second wicket and then 95 for the unfinished third.

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Photo: Twitter @BCCI

October 28, 2022

NEW DELHI – India v Netherlands: Skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav cracked half centuries before the bowlers produced a clinically efficient show as India expectedly outclassed qualifiers Netherlands by 56 runs in front of a packed gathering at the Sydney Cricket Ground here.

India, opting to bat first on winning the toss and going in with an unchanged eleven, did not totally dominate the Netherlands bowling attack, but still had enough firepower to blast their way to 179 for two in the Super 12 Group 2 league clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

India v Netherlands World Cup T20

Their bowling attack then stopped Netherlands at 123 for 9 to help India grab two points and shoot to the top of the six-team table with 4 points to their credit, above South Africa who beat Bangladesh in the previous game at the same venue, and a net run rate of Plus 1.425. South Africa were second with three points with Plus 5.200 as net run rate.

Rohit showed the way with a well-made 39 ball 53, striking 3 sixes and four fours in the process while Kohli continued from where he left off against Pakistan (82 not out) in the opening match with a well-crafted 62 not out in 44 balls that contained 2 sixes and three fours.

Suryakumar Yadav too joined the party by striking the ball sweetly for a breezy, unbeaten 53 off just 25 balls, hitting a six and seven fours.

The only batsman to fail was opener K L Rahul who followed up his knock of 4 against Pakistan with an innings of 9 as he fell leg before to Paul van Meekeren, a decision he failed to review which showed that the ball going down the leg.

The Indian innings was built around Kohli’s two half century partnerships first with skipper Rohit that yielded 73 runs for the second wicket and then 95 for the unfinished third with Yadav.

Kohli magic in India v Netherlands

Kohli’s superb run with the bat has continued ever since his first ever T20 International hundred against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai on September 8. He has also remained not out in his last three innings.

Netherlands batsmen found the going tough against the Indian attack in the run chase although they just about managed avoided being shot out.

Six batsmen reached double figures with Tim Pringle making the highest score of 20 that included a step-out six off Ravichandran Ashwin.

Axar Patel and Ashwin picked up two wickets each with economic figures too while Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was miserly as well as incisive to bag 2 for 9 in 3 overs, two of them being maiden overs.

Arshdeep Singh, one of the top performers in that unforgettable last ball victory over Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last Sunday, took two wickets in successive balls in his third over. But he could not complete the hat trick in the last over and finished with 2 for 37 while Mohammed Shami got one wicket.

India now move to Perth in Western Australia for their third game, a tough one too, against South Africa on October 30 while Netherlands meet Pakistan at the same venue on the same day in the first match.

Today in the first match here, South Africa demolished Bangladesh by 104 runs to clinch their first victory in Group 2 and take their points tally to three from two games.

South Africa had shared two points equally with Zimbabwe after their opening game had been washed out in Hobart on October 24. Bangladesh remained on 2 points after playing 2 matches.

South Africa notched up an imposing 205 for 5 in their quota of 20 overs to which Bangladesh replied with 101 in 16.3 overs.

For the winners, Riley Rossouw powered his way to his second consecutive hundred in T20 Internationals, after his century against hosts India in the last T20I of the recent bilateral series held just before the commencement of this tournament in Indore.

Rossouw hit long and hard to accumulate eight sixes and seven fours in his pulverising knock of 109 in just 56 balls to flatten Bangladesh.

In partnership with wicket keeper Quntion de Kock, who compiled a quick-fire 63 in 38 balls with the help of three sixes and seven fours, Rossouw put on 163 in 85 balls for the second wicket.

Rossouw, 33 years of age who opted for the Kolpak deal with Hampshire to play domestic cricket in England and forfeited the opportunity to continue to represent South Africa, had lost five years of top level cricket. He returned to represent the country of his birth only this year.

In the listless Bangladesh run chase, Litton Das top-scored with 34 and the main wicket takers for the winners were Anritch Nortje (4 for 10) who clocked 153 kph, the second fastest in the tournament so far behind England’s Mark Wood (153 kph), and left arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (3 for 20).

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