India 193 for 6 (Dube 66, Suryakumar 34, van Beek 3-56, Dutt 2-19) beat Netherlands 176 for 7 (de Leede 33, Varun 3-14, Dube 2-35) by 17 runs
Aryan Dutt rules powerplay
India chose to bat partly to prepare themselves for bowling in the dew later in the tournament and partly to flex their batting muscle, but Dutt, the tall offspinner, had other plans. He bowled quick, he cramped the batters up, and stayed away from driving or pulling length. Two dots later, Abhishek, yet to score a World Cup run, backed away and tried to go over mid-on, missing the ball completely. Dutt would have started off with a wicket-maiden but for a bad bounce from a corner strip.
Ishan Kishan, the form batter for India, tried to use his short stature to manufacture pulling length, but Dutt didn’t waver. The ball lobbed off his pad onto his forearm and then rolled onto the leg stump. That India didn’t promote Suryakumar Yadav to break up the left-hand batters allowed Dutt to tie down Tilak Varma as well.
Seamers continue to stifle India
The fast bowlers used the conditions well by taking the pace off often and going into the pitch. Kyle Klein was the pick of the quicks, but it was Logan van Beek, who created two chances in the ninth over. While Suryakumar found relief through a drop from Michael Levitt, Tilak Varma found a flying Roelof van der Merwe at wide long-off. Those shots came about thanks to no boundaries for 20 balls, and immediately Netherlands put together another spell of 19, which included Dutt coming back and signing off with analysis of 4-0-19-2.
Dube derails Netherlands
Just when Suryakumar began to look dangerous with a pick-up six over long leg, he found the fielder with perfection trying to repeat the dose. Dube, though, stayed away from the fielders, most crucially off the first ball he faced. An off-pace short ball, it was nearly a repeat of his dismissal against USA, but the top edge fell short of the keeper.
In the absence of Axar Patel, who was rested for this match, Dube was the only spin disruptor in the side. He got off to a slow start, making only six off the first 11 balls he faced, surviving an lbw through umpire’s call, but once he got stuck into Colin Ackermann he didn’t look back. There was nothing cute about his hitting, no sweeps or reverse-sweeps, just lusty hitting from the crease.
Even though Suryakumar fell and Hardik Pandya also found it difficult to get going immediately, Dube kept getting the better of the spinners. A standout feature was how he put away changes of pace from the quicks, which generally tend to slow him down.
Pandya also overcame the early slowness to end up with three sixes to go with Dube’s six as India took 75 off the last five.
Bumrah, Arshdeep test with the new ball
Varun provides finishing touches
With the asking rate having gone past 12 an over in as early as the ninth over, India bowled Abhishek and Dube, which ended up giving Netherlands some momentum. However, with 100 needed off the last eight, India went back to Varun and he nearly picked up a hat-trick, getting Ackermann on the slog, bowling Dutt with a wrong’un, and nearly getting past the defence of Scott Edwards with another.
Dube went for 23 off the first nine balls he bowled, but he came back by executing the wide lines well, getting Bas de Leede caught at fine short third to end the 14th over. That was as good as done.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo
