The Indian team concluded their group stage campaign with a dominant victory over the Netherlands in Bengaluru. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli contributed to India’s massive total of 410 with half centuries, but it was late centuries from Iyer and Rahul that took the Indian fans by storm. India then went on to bundle the Dutch Lions out thanks to an all round bowling performance, bowling nine of their bowlers to win by 160 runs.
Sharma, having won the toss early in the day, opted to bat first on the flattish wicket, and took charge of the game from the very first over. The skipper set the tone for his side with an early 61 run contribution, while legend Virat Kohli assisted at the other end with a formidable knock of 51. Together they bolstered the Indian innings to a strong 200 runs before they were picked up, but fortunately for the Indians, the fireworks had only just begun.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul stole the show in the final 25 overs with two more centuries, catapulting India to 410 for 4. Iyer smacked an unbeaten 94 ball 124, while Rahul recorded the fastest century by an Indian in a World Cup, hitting a ton in 62 deliveries to help India push through to a monster target.
Although the Netherlands got off to a comprehensive start, their attempts to break India’s unbeaten streak were brilliantly fought off by an all round bowling effort. Nine out of the eleven Indian on the field were given the opportunity to bowl on the night, a tactic that showcased not only India’s confident in their players, but also that the host nation was not afraid to step out of their comfort zone.
Although batting 47 whole overs, The Dutch were only allowed to reach a total of 250. Teja Nidamanuru claimed 51 runs in his stint at the crease, topping the scoreboard for the Europeans, but was far from ever getting over the line. It was Mohamed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah who swept up the low order after a stubborn partnership but Siraj also contributed in the powerplay. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja then spun their webs of deceit, taking out the Dutch top order after a lengthy couple of overs. All four bowlers were rewarded two wickets each, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also added to the festivity with each claiming surprise wickets. Kohli bagged the Dutch skipper in the middle overs while Sharma ended the match by picking up Netherlands top scorer.
India will now work towards taking on take the strong Proteas batting line up on the 15th of November at the Wankhede. India have gone unbeaten with South Africa only losing to India and Australia in the lead up to the Semi Finals.
Chief Scores:
India – 410 for 4 in 50 overs (Shreyas Iyer 128*, KL Rahul 102, Rohit Sharma 61, Bas de Leede 2 for 82, Roelof van der Merwe 1 for 53, Paul van Meekeren 1 for 90)
Netherlands – 250 for 10 in 47.5 overs (Teja Nidamanuru 54, Sybrand Engelbrecht 45, Colin Ackermann 35, Mohamed Siraj 2 for 29, Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 33, Kuldeep Yadav 2 for 41)
