IND vs NED: India out to start afresh after MCG happy high

IND vs NED: India out to start afresh after MCG happy high

Less than 48 hours after playing what Rohit Sharma called was the best T20 innings by anyone in an India shirt, Virat Kohli took guard at an optional net session at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Knock. Knock. He played a pair of front-foot defences and then was beaten on the outside edge to the third ball.

“Andar ka dikhata hai par bahar wala karata hai,” (You reveal it’s an inswinger but it moves away), he joked with the throwdown specialist before refocusing for the next ball. Knock. Another forward defence.

The party may be over but the happy high of Melbourne has lingered, and understandably so. It was therefore important for Kohli, Rohit Sharma & Co. to put their heads down and, in some sense, start over and really sink their teeth into this World Cup campaign.

“For us, from the situation we won, our confidence will skyrocket,” Rohit Sharma said after the MCG epic. “Now we know we can win from anywhere. We saw last year when Pakistan beat us, the way they played after that, it was great. When you win the first game, you can really settle in.”

Helpfully for India, orange is a fine hangover remedy. Netherlands offer just the kind of tempered re-centering they need after the emotionally-charged finish on Sunday. It isn’t to suggest the Dutch cannot upend the established order.

In fact, the intensity of India’s batting preparation, with a double session for Rohit Sharma, on Tuesday afternoon testified a cold fact: this game is worth exactly the same number of points as the previous one. India know the importance of grabbing both of those, if possible with a run-rate boost should rain and subsequent results complicate qualification as they have done for the other big team in the group – South Africa.

Meanwhile, Netherlands, in a World Cup main draw for the first time in eight years, are out to prove they aren’t a box for India to be ticked off. They had a good start to this tournament before tailing off in the last couple of games, especially with the bat.

Scott Edwards insists they will be up for it playing their brand of cricket. And after the events of this tournament, who could argue with him? Whether they can convert belief into performance in the hothouse atmosphere sure to be provided by India’s fanatical supporters, remains to be seen.

What’s certain is that they aren’t uncomfortable on the stage. They’ve enjoyed recent trysts with the big boys of the game, having played West Indies, England, New Zealand and Pakistan over the summer. That they don’t get to play India often marks tomorrow as an opportunity for some statement making.

When:IND vs NED, ICC men’s T20 World Cup 2022, October 27, 18:00 Local, 12:30 IST

Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

What to expect: Slight chance of rain around toss and match start time but clear thereafter as per the local meteorology department. The SCG produced a flat wicket for the Super 12 opener as New Zealand racked up 200 against the tournament hosts. A similar surface, possibly even slower, is predicted. IND vs NED

Unlike the Australia-New Zealand fixture, India will play on a 40-overs used pitch given it will be the second of two games on the day and that could bring the slow bowlers into contention. Since BBL 2019-20, teams have a 7-6 W-L record when they bat first with an average first innings total of 157.

T20I Head to Head:0-0 This is their first encounter in this format. India have beaten Netherlands in each of their two meetings at 50-over World Cups, in 2003 and 2011, and coincidentally made it to the final of each of those tournaments.

IND vs NED: Team Watch

India

Injured/Unavailable: Hardik Pandya suffered from cramps at the end of the Pakistan game. He cooled his heels alongside Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav while the others used the optional practice session. Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey confirmed Pandya and the other 14 members of the squad were all fit and available to play.

Tactics & Matchups:In four matches this World Cup, Netherlands have so far made scores of 112/7 (19.5 overs), 122/5 (19.3 overs), 146/9 and 135. The top-order, save for Max O’Dowd, hasn’t fired. If there is assistance with the new ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami will lay bare their vulnerabilities.

India are also unlikely to make any changes to the XI that played against Pakistan despite the fact that they have a long trip to Perth after this and a quick turnaround time.

Probable XI:Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

Netherlands

Injured/Unavailable: Roelof van der Merve suffered a back injury in the game against Sri Lanka but braved the pain to come out to bat. He missed the game against Bangladesh subsequently and remains a doubtful starter tomorrow with Netherlands hoping to make a final decision after tonight’s practice session.

Tactics & Matchups:In Fred Klaasen, Tim Pringle and Shariz Ahmed, Netherlands have a potent trio of a left-arm pacer, left-arm orthodox spinner and leg spinner respectively – a combination that has troubled Indian top order batters in the recent past. After a collapse that saw India slip to 31/4 against Pakistan, Netherlands will hope to land the first punch with the ball.

Probable XI:Vikramjit Singh, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards (C & wk), Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Shariz Ahmed/Roelof van der Merve, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren

Did you know?

– KL Rahul averages 19.15 at 106.41 SR against full-member nations in T20Is since October 2020

– Bas de Leede is the highest run-getter and leading wicket taker for Netherlands in T20Is after the last World Cup and has been the Player of The Match in both of Netherlands’ victories in Round 1.

– Left-arm spinner Tim Pringle’s four PowerPlay overs in this tournament have cost Netherlands only 20 runs this World Cup.

What they said:

“Not just for us, I think the end overs have been a challenge for other teams as well. In the last game itself, people went for runs. We acknowledge that it’s going to be a challenging phase. Yes we have bowlers for it, we have prepared for it. For us, we have identified the bowlers who are going to be our specialists as well. Having said that, you have to be adaptable.

You got to be able to have other options available, in case required. They might not be seam bowlers, they might be spinners. I think you are going to be put in those challenges, you are going to think differently at times. But we have those bowlers, we have our plans sorted.” – Paras Mhambrey on India’s end-overs bowling concerns.

“Tom [Cooper] is obviously great to have in the squad. He hasn’t got the runs this tournament but hopefully this is the game that he gets going. Both he and Roelof van der Merve bring a wealth of experience in T20 cricket. That’s huge for our guys.

Especially looking at… we have three-four guys that are under 21 years old 21. They’re massive to have around the group and great for the team’s morale” –Scott Edwards on why experience matters.

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