India take on the Netherlands in their fourth and final group stage game of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18. For the Dutch, this game is essential since they have just two points in their kitty. Winning this by a huge margin, aided by other results elsewhere, can propel them into the tournament's Super 8 stage. India, on the other hand, will take things easy because they have already made it there.
For the Dutch, experienced players such as Roelof van der Merwe, Scott Edwards, and Colin Ackermann must stand up against India. Van der Merwe is among those few players who have played international cricket for both South Africa and the Netherlands. He is expected to bring his wide experience to the fore. Amongst the youngsters, spinner Aryan Dutt and all-rounder Bas de Leede will be hoping to infuse the side with their energy and dynamism. De Leede, who bats at number three and also bowls seam, is the perfect package to counter India's Hardik Pandya.
India, undoubtedly, will look to give some of their regulars, such as Jasprit Bumrah and Rinku Singh, a bit of a rest before the Super 8 stage begins. They are slated to meet South Africa at the same venue a few days later. With Sanju Samson and Mohammed Siraj expected to come back into the XI, India's aim will be to strengthen their bench in case of casualties, since this is quite a long tournament. They currently sit on top of Group A and have solidified their position with a 61-run, one-sided victory over their nemesis, Pakistan, on Sunday.
Predicted Teams
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
NED: Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c) (wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Kyle Klein, Fred Klaassen.
Key Players
Shivam Dube (IND): Those who saw Shivam Dube score 27 against Pakistan before being run out on Sunday know how dangerous he can be when he gets going. Dube has long levers and can pick up balls pitched at any length and slog them over the midwicket and long on boundaries. Earlier, the southpaw used to be suspect against short-pitched deliveries, but he seems to have improved his skills while pulling and hooking, and looks the part in this tournament.
Aryan Dutt (NED): Aryan Dutt is one of the players in the Dutch unit that India have to be aware of. The off-spinner is known for hitting consistent lengths. He can be quite dangerous against the likes of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, since he can get the ball to turn away from left-handers. Moreover, if he is given the ball inside the power play, Dutt can vary his pace and use his tall frame to get the ball to bounce from the back of a length area as well.
Match Prediction
Captain Suryakumar Yadav's boys are on a roll, and we expect India's juggernaut to continue over the Netherlands as well. The Dutch have to go beyond the surface to find chinks in India's armour, which is, admittedly, not an easy task. They will have to resort to spin very often, with the likes of Dutt and van der Merwe spinning their magic. The latter, who is now 41 years old, continues to get better with age, and he will have to slow the flow of runs down in the middle overs. Still, we expect India to have the upper hand.