Team India started off really well in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. They won a thrilling game against the arch-rival Pakistan by 4 wickets while chasing a total of 160.
India vs Pakistan (ICC T20 World Cup 2022)
India won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). B Kumar and A Singh bowled a really good new ball spell. Arshdeep Singh got the Pakistani captain B Azam on the very first ball. And M Rizwan struggles for his 4 runs in 12 balls. Arshdeep got him as well with a well-directed bouncer.
I Ahmed and S Masood played out the hard time when the ball was swinging. They steady the ship for Pakistan and put on a 76-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
After that partnership, Pakistan lose wickets in the cluster and at one stage, they were 98 for 5 and then 120 for 7.
S Masood stood tall in the end and with Shaheen Shah Afridi and H Rauf’s cameo, Pakistan scored 159 runs on the board.
When India came out to chase the target, Pakistani pacers were on the money and India was 31 for 4 in real quick time.
V Kohli and H Pandya took their time to settle. And then H Pandya started to get some boundaries here and there.
The pair put on a stand of 113 for the 5th wicket. When the target looks hard to achieve, V Kohli took on H Rauf on the last two balls of the penultimate over and hit two sixes.
M Nawaz had 16 runs to defend but it was India’s day. And he bowled everything in that over from no ball to wide. India won the game in the end.
Netherlands vs Bangladesh (ICC T20 World Cup 2022)
On the other hand, the Netherlands didn’t start off really well in their opening game against Bangladesh. They restricted Bangladesh to a below-par total. And they had a great opportunity to do an upset.
After an opening stand of 43 between Shanto and S Sarkar, they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Bangladesh somehow gets to 144 with the help of Afif’s 38 and an unbeaten 20 of 12 balls by M Hossain.
But when the Netherlands came out to chase the target, they were never there in a run chase. They lost 4 wickets for just 15 runs.
Netherlands had a small partnership of 44 between C Ackermann and S Edwards. But that was the only real partnership they had.
The Netherlands lost the game by 9 runs in the end. C Ackermann was the only scorer in the second inning.
Now, India and Netherlands will play each other in their second game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The game is set to be held at Sydney Cricket Ground on October 27. One team came with an outstanding win and the other has nothing much to look at in terms of positives. The only positive Netherlands can see is their bowling. They restricted Bangladesh to a below-par total.
India would want to continue their winning streak against the Netherlands. And Netherlands has to find a way to open their account in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in the super 12. It will be hard for them against a big team like India.
Players to look for
India
Rohit Sharma
Captain R Sharma has to step up now. If he gets going, India will get a very good start at the top. And it will make the job easier for the middle order.
Virat Kohli
The former Indian captain showed again why he is the best batsman in the world right now. V Kohli is very crucial to India’s success in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He will be eager to continue his form against the Netherlands.
Netherlands
C Ackermann
He was the only player who stood tall till the end. C Ackermann scored big against Bangladesh and will be important for the Netherlands against India.
T Pringle
He is a very good player who gives the right balance to the team. In the game against Bangladesh, he bowled well and he is a very good batter as well. A genuine all-rounder who can win games with both bat and ball.
Will Rishab Pant replaces A Patel in the playing XI?
If Team India wants a pure batter who is a left-hander, they can fit in Rishab Pant in place of A Patel. But then they will only have five bowling options left in the team.
It is unlikely at this stage that A Patel will be dropped. He has shown in the recent past that he is a very good player with both bat and ball. R Pant has to wait for his chance.
India’s squad-
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami
Reserves-
Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur
Netherlands squad-
Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Shariz Ahmad, Logan van Beek, Tom Cooper, 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
Let’s see who comes out on top in the game between India and Netherlands. The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is going well and we are enjoying every game. What’s your prediction for this game? Comment your predictions below.
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