T20 CWC: Netherlands India match before clash with South Africa, top-order has a chance to gain momentum

Sydney. A confident Indian team, after winning a thrilling encounter against Pakistan, is unlikely to face much challenge in a World Cup group match from a weak Netherlands side here on Thursday. India’s batsmen are expected to dominate the Netherlands bowlers.

The Indian team, however, will have to avoid complacency as teams tend to slack off after winning an emotionally tiring match. In this match, three of the top four batsmen, captain Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav, will get a chance to find momentum before taking on a strong South African side.

The match against South Africa will play an important role in deciding the team’s place in the group points table. The Netherlands team has bowlers like Fred Klaasen, Baad de Leede, Tim Pringle and former South African left-arm spinner Reelof van der Merwe. Van der Merwe is the only player in the opposing team to have played in the Indian Premier League.

The Netherlands bowling attack came in handy during the league stage and the match against Bangladesh in Hobart as the weather was cold and windy and the pitch helped the bowlers. On Thursday, however, the Netherlands will face India’s strong batsmen on the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch. The SCG pitch has traditionally been batsmen friendly and shots are easy to play here.

New Zealand had scored 200 runs against Australia in their first match at the SCG and the Indian team would also like to bat first after winning the toss. Batting first will give batsmen like Rahul a chance to gain momentum and prepare for South Africa’s challenge. Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on Wednesday confirmed that India will play the same XI against the Netherlands as they played against Pakistan on Sunday.

The bowling coach said on the eve of the match that we are not giving rest to anyone. When you find momentum in a tournament, you want individual players to be in tune as well, so every match becomes important. Mhambrey said that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is fit and wants to play all the matches himself. Chasing the target against Pakistan, Pandya had a problem with leg stiffness in the last overs of the Indian innings. He said he was fine, fit to play. We are not considering giving him rest. He himself wants to play all the matches. He is an important player and gives balance to the team. Yes, Virat (Kohli) finished the match but we need an experienced player who knows what can happen when the match is close.

In a tournament like the World Cup, no team wants to change the playing XI and the Indian team management is also following the same mindset. Kohli’s memorable innings and Pandya’s vivacious performance may have won India the match, but the question is still being raised whether this is India’s best T20 XI. It is disappointing to keep a player like Rishabh Pant out to give Rahul a place in the team. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also did not find a place in the match against Pakistan but India’s final net session saw his deliveries sharp and troubled all the top batsmen. If no one gets injured, then there will probably be no change in fast bowling.

The Netherlands have a decent team and some players have been given central contracts after the team played in the ICC World One Day International League. Former Australia Under-19 and ‘A’ cricket Tom Cooper is part of the Netherlands team who has played for Brisbane Heats in the Big Bash League and Somerset in county cricket. Indian-origin young opener Vikramjit Singh is also a part of the team who is considered to be talented. Tim Pringle, son of fast bowler Chris Pringle, who has played many matches for New Zealand, is also part of the team.

Tim is a left-arm spinner and a lower order batsman. Indian fans remember Chris as a bowler against whom the great batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored a lot of runs. Bass de Leede is also part of the team whose father Tim represented the Netherlands in the 1996 World Cup.

 Squad: India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel and Rishabh Pant. Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain), Colin Ackerman, Tom Cooper, Bass de Leede, Brandon Glover, Fred Klaasen, Stefan Myberg, Vikramjit Singh, Teja Nidimanuru, Max O’Dowd, Tim Pringle, Reelof van der Merwe, Tim van der Guggen, Logan Van Beek, Paul Van Meeckeren and Shariz Ahmed. Time: The match will start at 12:30 PM IST.