An all-round performance saw India trounce the Netherlands by a huge margin of 56 runs in their second game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. The encounter was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday, October 25.
Opting to bat first, India got off to a slow start. After KL Rahul fell early on, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli batted cautiously and stitched up a stand of 73 runs in 56 balls. The Indian skipper, who looked scratchy throughout his stay, scored a 39-ball 53.
As soon as Suryakumar Yadav entered the crease, he and Kohli took the game to the Netherlands and put on a stand of 95 runs from just 48 balls. The pair took India's total to 179/2 as both remained unbeaten and reached their half-centuries in style. While Kohli registered 62* from 44, Suryakumar scored a quick-fire 25-ball 51*.
India didn't have to break a sweat in the second innings as they restricted the Dutch side to just 123-9. The Netherlands had no answers to a well-disciplined bowling from India. All four of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up two wickets apiece as India go top of the Group 2 points table with two wins in two games.
To complete the review of the game, let's take a look at the hits and flops from the lopsided game.
#4 Flop - Netherlands' batting unit
It was always going to be an arduous task for the Dutch batters to provide stiff competition and perhaps give Indian bowlers a run for their money on Thursday. However, none of it unfolded as the Indian bowling attack ran over the Men in Orange and restricted them for 123-9.
After a maiden first over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Netherlands kept losing wickets at regular intervals. While credit must go to the Indian bowlers for bowling some great deliveries, the Dutch batters displayed very little application to stay at the crease.
All Dutch batters failed to gage movement and bounce on the pitch, leading them to lose nine wickets with just 101 runs on the board.
The numbers show that five Dutch batters departed with single-digit scores, while lower-order batter Tim Pringle top-scored for the them with a 15-ball 20. It does paint a gloomy picture for the Dutch batting unit.
#3 Hit - Indian bowling attack
Team India's bowling attack proved to be potent once again as they brought the Dutch batters to their knees in Sydney.
In what was a complete bowling performance, all Indian bowlers worked cohesively to thump the Netherlands out of the game and secure a comfortable win for their side.
It all started when Bhuvneshwar bowled two consecutive maiden overs while also dismissing opener Vikramjit Singh. Axar Patel then came into the attack to bowl a thrifty spell of 2/18.
After Netherlands were 62-3, Ashwin delivered a fantastic 13th over to send two batters packing. Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep (2/37) then winded up with the task, taking the last three wickets between them. Mohammed Shami also grabbed a wicket to his name when he dismissed Pringle in the 16th over.
It was a well-rounded bowling display by the Men in Blue on Thursday and they will hope to continue the same against South Africa on Sunday as well.
#2 Flop - KL Rahul (India)
For the second consecutive game of the tournament, KL Rahul failed to impress as he endured a forgettable outing against the Netherlands.
Following his flop show against Pakistan, the Indian opener was expected to hit his straps against the Dutch unit. However, Rahul registered just nine runs off 12 balls on Thursday.
During the third over of the innings, Rahul tried to flick a fuller delivery from Paul van Meekeren. Unfortunately, for Rahul, he missed the ball altogether which struck on the pads before the umpire raised his finger.
Rahul chose not to review the decision after having a brief word with Rohit Sharma. However, ball-tracking later confirmed that the ball was missing the leg stump.
#1 Hit - Suryakumar Yadav (India)
In his usual exquisite manner, Suryakumar Yadav came up with another stylish innings and smashed his tenth T20I fifty, scoring an unbeatable 51* from just 25 balls.
Following Rohit Sharma's dismissal after 12 overs, Suryakumar joined the crease when India were 84/2 and immediately upped the ante. He smacked boundaries at will as the Netherlands, who managed to put a lid on the Indian scoring rate, found it tough against the Mumbai lad.
While the Dutch bowlers bowled well per se, Suryakumar's flamboyant batting proved to be a major factor in pushing the opposition out of the game. Clobbering seven boundaries and a six during his stay, Suryakumar was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news