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India delivered a devastating blow to the Netherlands,
who closed their World Cup with a 160-run loss, as the hosts concluded their
unblemished run into the knockout stages spearheaded by Shreyas Iyer and KL
Rahul’s masterful batting display.
After first-wicket duo Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill
scored 100 runs apiece to set the stage for India’s 410 for 4, centurions
Shreyas and Rahul put on a 208-run partnership. The Netherlands bowlers had no
answer for an India batting lineup that swung the door off its hinges as it
burst into the room and delivered an overwhelming monologue with the home crowd
hanging on every word. Virat Kohli also passed fifty and put on 71 with
Shreyas.
Gill sprinted down the pitch and blasted Aryan Dutt
onto the roof of the stand past long-on with the match’s eighteenth ball. Up
until then, Dutt had given up 16 runs in his 11 deliveries, 12 of them in fours
to Rohit, who effectively swept and cut. This was the epitome of Indian
strength at this event, if there ever was one. Even though India deployed nine
bowlers, including Kohli and Gill, Netherlands did not exactly collapse in the
chase, batting well into the 48th over for their 250, but they were left with
too much to accomplish.
As if the celebration wasn’t already taking place
among the Bengaluru crowd, Kohli energised the audience even more by dismissing
a rare three overs and claiming a wicket with his ninth ball, which left Scott
Edwards chasing a wide one down the leg side and giving Rahul an edge. Having
bowled just seven balls in international cricket before, Gill joined in the fun
with two wicketless overs for 11 runs. However, Jasprit Bumrah was all
business, launching a yorker onto the foot of de Leede’s off stump to leave the
Netherlands 144 for 5 after 32 overs.
It was Siraj who removed a stubborn Engelbrecht,
bowled for 45, and while Nidamanuru offered a fighting half-century comprising
six sixes, his was the last wicket to fall, to none other than Rohit who
decided to chance his arm and ended the match with his fifth delivery.