Openers, Spinners Set Up India's Commanding Win Over Netherlands

India backed up their win over Pakistan with a commanding performance against the Netherlands in their second T20 World Cup fixture, breezing to a 95-run win in Leeds on Wednesday (June 17). The result took India to the top of Group A, marginally above Australia on net run-rate, with the victory set up by their openers and a collective bowling and fielding display.

Asked to bat under overcast skies, India began positively as Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana set the tone with a regular flow of boundaries in the Powerplay. They married lofted shots with immaculate placement to find gaps, latching onto anything loose from bowlers guilty of bowling too wide and erring in length. India went past fifty one delivery into the fifth over, finishing on 59 by the end of the Powerplay.

Post the Powerplay, Shafali raised her first T20 World Cup fifty in her 16th innings, despite being dropped on 49. Mandhana soon switched gears, bringing up the first six of the innings by launching Heather Siegers over long off. The offie broke the partnership of 115 as Shafali found long on. Mandhana continued to dictate terms, notching up another half-century before falling to a miscued shot. Jemimah Rodrigues then fell to the scoop, before Yastika Bhatia was stumped. Richa Ghosh made Netherlands pay for a dropped catch with a breezy unbeaten 20-run cameo. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also dropped but fell two deliveries later. Deepti Sharma slammed a six and a four to take India to 209, their highest total in competition history.

Netherlands began steadily but Nandni Sharma picked up the first wicket as Siegers smashed to extra cover. India were struck a blow in the sixth over when Shreyanka Patil twisted her ankle and had to be stretchered off. Deepti removed Molkenboer for 20-ball 15, while Shafali and Nandni claimed wickets with clever bowling. Spinners dominated – Shree Charani in particular displayed excellent control, picking up four wickets including a hat-trick opportunity. The Dutch lost their last five wickets for a solitary run as Netherlands were bundled out for 114.

Brief Scores: India 209/5 in 20 overs (Smriti Mandhana 74, Shafali Verma 55; Caroline de Lange 2-32) beat Netherlands 114 all out in 17.3 overs (Babette de Leede 28; Shree Charani 4-19, Shafali Verma 3-20, Nandni Sharma 2-22) by 95 runs.