After winning a thrilling match against Pakistan, India will take on the Netherlands at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday in their second match of the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue could not have asked for a better start as they defeated Pakistan by four wickets after Virat Kohli scored a piece-de-resistance knock.
It will be a slightly easier challenge for the Indian team against the Dutchmen but taking the opposition lightly would be the last mistake Rohit Sharma and Co. would want to make.
India’s top order had plummeted under pressure against Pakistan and it will be crucial for them to make a significant contribution. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya were brilliant for the Men in Blue as they snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Furthermore, India’s fast bowlers were right on the money against Pakistan, which is a big positive as their death bowling has been a concern in the recent past.
On the other hand, the Netherlands were able to show that they can put the big teams under a bit of pressure as Bangladesh only won against them by nine runs. However, the Men in Orange will need to play out of their skin to challenge the potent Indian team.
Van Meekeren scalped two wickets against the Tigers for the Netherlands whereas Colin Ackermann scored a fine knock of 62 runs.
Match Prediction: India will definitely start as red-hot favorites against the Netherlands.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami (in for Jasprit Bumrah), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh
Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.
Netherlands squad:
Colin Ackermann, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Brandon Glover, Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe, Stephan Myburgh, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh
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