India once again did not look like a team that aspires to win the World Cup. The strong batting line-up stuttered on Wednesday before crossing the rather small target set by the Netherlands, a side with modest means. Although India earned two points from the five-wicket win to virtually enter the quarter-finals, they looked far from convincing in the way some of their batsmen performed. At one stage, India were reduced to 99 for four, chasing 190 for a win, and the packed house for a moment fell silent.
Eventually, India won the day-night encounter with 81 deliveries to spare, but the win was not as easy as these statistics might suggest. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side will have to raise the bar by a few notches when they clash with South Africa on Saturday and for the matches ahead. For the second successive match, Yuvraj Singh starred with the bat and ball and clinched the Man of the Match award. He bagged two wickets for 43 after Dhoni lost the toss and then scored his second half-century (51 not out, 73 balls, 7x4s) in four days.
Dhoni remained unbeaten on 19 (40 balls, 2x4s) and played out some dot balls to allow Yuvraj reach the 48th half-century in his 269th ODI when the issue was almost settled. While India took their points tally to seven from four matches and remain atop Group B (followed by England who have five from seven), the Netherlands are still without a point after four games. India also have a better net run rate (+0.992) than England (+0.054), the two teams who played out a ‘tie’ a few days ago. On Sunday, India were tested by a spirited Ireland in Bangalore, and Dhoni even admitted that the win over the minnows was not a fluent one. On Tuesday, he said that he was looking at an “easy win” but after the match, he said there are areas that need improvement.
India looked in some disarray while chasing the Netherlands’ 189 all out in 46.4 overs under floodlights. After Virender Sehwag (39, 26 balls, 5x4s, 2x6s) was dismissed with the total on 69, India lost Sachin Tendulkar (27, 22 balls, 6x4s) and Yusuf Pathan (11, 1x4, 1x6), who was promoted ahead of Gautam Gambhir (28, 28 balls, 3x4s), in five deliveries. Tendulkar, playing his sixth World Cup, hit three successive fours off Ryan ten Doeschate to become the first man to complete 2,000 runs in the tournament. He then went for an ambitious shot but ended up giving a catch while Pathan’s was a soft caught-and-bowled dismissal. Sensing blood, the Netherlands took the bowling powerplay from the next over (11th). The visitors tasted another success in the form of Virat Kohli. Yusuf’s dismissal brought two Delhi batsmen at the crease — Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. They escaped a run out chance, and before they could strike a rapport, Peter Borren bowled Kohli (12, 20 b, 2x4s).
India picked local pacer Ashish Nehra for the first time in the tournament and rested Munaf Patel. Openers Eric Szwarczynski (28, 42b, 4x4s), playing his first match of the tournament, and wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi (26, 58b, 2x4s) gave the Netherlands a sedate but solid 56-run start on a surface that looked shorn of grass from a distance. Peter Borren at No.8 played a captain’s knock and turned out to be the highest scorer with a quick 38 (36b, 3x4s, 2x6s). Zaheer Khan was the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul while Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj bagged two wickets apiece.
Harbhajan Singh, who went wicketless, may be a cause for concern for Dhoni.
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