Last Updated on October 27, 2022 by
Virat Kohli scored a blistering unbeaten 62 as India cruised to a 56-run win over Netherlands in the Men’s T20 World Cup.
After his magnificent 82 not out against Pakistan, Kohli again timed his innings to perfection in Sydney when he put on 73 with Rohit Sharma and an unbroken 95 with Suryakumar Yadav.
After Rohit – down for 13 – fell to a rather disjointed 53 off 39 deliveries, Kohli stepped up, showing his full range of strokes, and brought up his 35th T20 international half-century off 37 balls.
For all Kohli’s excellence, Suryakumar gave just as much raucous Indian fans to cheer in a breath-taking knock, a big six off the last ball of the innings taking him to 25-ball as India posted 179-2 from their 20 overs.
Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened with a maiden and then a wicket-maiden as, with the used pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground beginning to slow down, the Dutch chase faltered from the start.
Bhuvneshwar finished with 2-9 from three overs and there were two wickets each for left-armer Arshdeep Singh and spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel as Holland stuttered to 123-9.
Both sides now head to Perth for games on Sunday. The Netherlands will look to get off the mark in the Super 12 against Pakistan, while India can go a long way to top the group if they beat South Africa.
Classy Kohli picks up where he left off
After his stunning match-winning knock against Pakistan on Sunday, Kohli was at it again.
There may not have been an intense rivalry to raise the atmosphere to the level seen in Melbourne, but the Indian fans at the SCG made sure this was anything but low-key – and were rewarded with another Kohli masterclass.
The former India captain followed a similar game plan as he proved so successful at the MCG, starting slowly before gradually building to his expansive best, and Rohit’s dismissal was the trigger for Kohli to really get going.
The 33-year-old hit the first ball of the wicket back over Tim Pringle’s head for four, and was really in full flow when he lifted Fred Klaassen effortlessly over extra cover for six balls before bringing up his fifty.
Another maximum, bowled over square leg in the final over, was the topper and after watching Suryakumar clear the ropes again to end the innings, Kohli was all smiles as he departed.
After almost two years of struggling for form, Kohli is back to his best. Ominous signs for their rivals as India march towards the semi-finals.