India is now the table toppers in group 2 of the super 12. They moved up after beating the Netherlands by 56 runs at the SCG for the second match of the day of the ICC T20 World Cup.
An all-round performance by India at the SCG saw them clinch a comfortable victory over the Netherlands. India had won the toss and elected to bat first. Both the openers, Kl Rahul and Rohit Sharma, looked a bit more confident against the Netherland bowlers. Having said that, it was another poor start from Rahul, as he only managed to score 9 runs.
Rohit nearly lost his wicket, but a dropped catch by Tim Pringle saved the Indian Captain from another short inning. From there on, Rohit looked like his vintage form, pulling almost every short ball to the fence. He scored a well-paced 53 off 39.
Virat Kohli got his second consecutive fifty. He took his time with striking the ball. He played a run-a-ball till he reached 30 runs and then just accelerated his innings. Virat is back in form, and that can be seen in the attitude he walks out with. He knows the responsibility he has on his shoulders. He is striking the ball with determination. The last two innings that Virat has played is the typical Kohli innings where he starts slow and then ends with a big score and a good strike rate.
The star of the match was given to Suryakumar Yadav for his 51 off 25 deliveries. He came and fired off from the first ball itself. Virat said in the post-match interview that he is liking the partnership with Yadav. While Virat played a more steady inning, Yadav managed to score a boundary in almost every over. It is these types of partnerships that India needs because if Virat plays at run-a-ball, Yadav eases the pressure off him by scoring regular boundaries.
The Netherlands were sent in to bat to chase a total of 180 in 20 overs. Once again, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India’s best bowler. He bowled two maidens in the powerplay and picked up the wicket of Vikramjit Singh.
The Indian bowlers had a good day at the SCG. The two spinners especially needed a good game after the Pakistan match. Axar Patel got 2 wickets for 18 runs in his 4 overs, whereas Ashwin picked 2 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs. All the Indian bowlers that bowled picked up one wicket, at least. The bowlers did not give the Netherland batsmen any time to settle and picked up wickets at regular intervals. The Netherlands just could not find the rhythm for the chase and managed to score just 123 in their 20 overs, falling short of 56 runs.
India has a lot of positives to take from this game. The next game against South Africa is a crucial game. With players like Rohit, Suryakumar, and Kohli getting runs, it will surely give confidence in the Indian top-order batsmen. The spinners have got a game that will boost their morale as well, which will be effective in the game against South Africa.
