ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2022: India vs. The Netherlands
A daunting goal was set with half-centuries from Rohit, Kohli, and Suryakumar; the bowlers complemented the hitters’ efforts by taking advantage of the Dutch effort to chase it.
A brief period of rain caused some scepticism as the Sydney Cricket Ground prepared for a doubleheader on Thursday morning, which started in beautiful weather. But as the day went on, the weather improved, and cricket took over.
A sea of blue crept into the stands just after South Africa and Bangladesh’s play ended.
With the victory over Pakistan still fresh in their minds, Indian supporters had another victory to celebrate as Rohit Sharma’s team overcame the Netherlands by 56 runs in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 encounter.
The Netherlands had a mountain to climb after India recorded 179 for two with captain Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav among the runs, and they paused at 123 for nine.
Earlier, Rohit chose to bat after winning the toss and observed his opening partner K.L. Rahul’s excitement and frustration in equal measure. After hitting a four against Fred Klaassen in the opening over, Rahul was caught in front when Paul van Meekeren rushed in. Just as Rahul fell silent, Kohli entered the arena amid a shout from the crowd.
When Rohit (53) holed out in the deep, he had already reached fifty and had added 73 runs to Kohli’s second-wicket total. India had the opportunity to advance after reaching 86 for two in 12 overs, and Kohli and Suryakumar made sure of it with a brisk 95-run partnership.
With Suryakumar, Kohli practised inside-out drives and sprinted. While Kohli lifted Klaassen and dropped Logan van Beek over square-leg in the final over, the latter, keen to show off his scoops behind the wicket, slowed down the Netherlands attack.
By the time Suryakumar (51 not out) joined the club by hitting a six off van Beek’s final delivery, Kohli (62 not out) had already surpassed his fifty-run milestone and India had a score that the Netherlands could only gape at.
