AHMEDABAD, India: Shivam Dube seized his moment on the T20 World Cup stage, blasting a sensational 66 off 31 deliveries, pulling India out of a middle-order crisis, guiding them to an imposing 193 against the Netherlands in the last Group A clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday.
Asked to bat first, the Indian innings got off to an ordinary start but finished with a hurricane finish, leaving the Dutch with a mountain to climb and a win probability of just 27.13% at the innings break.
Young Dutch off-spinner Aryan Dutt produced a moment of magic with his very first delivery, trapping the explosive Abhishek Sharma plumb in front for a golden duck.
The decision was so clear that Abhishek didn’t even bother reviewing.
As if that wasn’t enough, Dutt struck again in his next over, the fourth of the innings.
Ishan Kishan, who had looked in menacing touch with two fours and a six in his brief 18-run cameo, tried to repeat the dose but was cleaned up by a beautiful delivery that kept a tad low.
At 39/2, India were in early trouble.
Tilak and Suryakamp; Steady the Ship
The onus fell on the young duo of Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav to orchestrate the recovery.
They went about their task with characteristic composure on a surface that offered variable bounce.
Tilak was the aggressor initially, finding the fence with ease, while Suryakumar played the anchor role, rotating the strike and waiting for the bad balls.
The pair added a crucial 71 runs for the third wicket, carefully navigating the disciplined Dutch attack led by the impressive Dutt and the accurate Bas de Leede.
Just as they were looking to accelerate, Tilak Varma fell for a well-made 31, mistiming a lofted shot off Logan van Beek straight to Roelof van der Merwe at long-on.
Suryakumar, looking set for a big one, followed suit shortly after the strategic timeout.
On 34, he top-edged a pull shot off Kyle Klein and was superbly caught by substitute fielder Tim van der Gugten running in from the boundary.
At 110/4 in the 14th over, the Netherlands had wrestled back control and were sniffing an opportunity to restrict India to a below-par total.
Dube-Pandya Hurricane
What followed in the final six overs was nothing short of carnage.
Hardik Pandya walked in and immediately signalled his intentions, but it was Shivam Dube who turned the game on its head.
The left-hander launched a brutal assault on the Dutch bowling, treating the spinners and pacers with equal disdain.
Dube brought up his fifty in just 26 balls, clearing the boundary at will.
He clobbered six towering sixes, with the ball disappearing deep into the stands with monotonous regularity.
Pandya, playing the perfect supporting role, unleashed his own fury, smashing three massive sixes in his 21-ball 30.
The duo plundered 76 runs in just 5.3 overs, completely demoralising the Dutch attack.
Logan van Beek, who had taken the crucial wicket of Tilak, bore the brunt of the assault, conceding 56 runs in his four overs despite taking three wickets.
Dube’s blistering knock finally ended in the penultimate over when he was caught in the deep off van Beek, but by then the damage had been done.
Rinku Singh provided a late cameo, smashing a six off the very first ball he faced, as India smashed 75 runs in the last five overs.
Hardik fell on the final ball of the innings, but India had posted a daunting 194-run target.
Dube’s Delight and Dutch Fight
For the Netherlands, Aryan Dutt was the standout bowler, finishing with brilliant figures of 2/19 from his four overs.
However, his efforts were overshadowed by the late-order assault.
The Dutch will now need the most herculean batting effort in their history, with the win probability heavily stacked against them.
With 194 runs on the board and the formidable Indian bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy waiting to strike, the Netherlands face a chase of epic proportions to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
