T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs NED: 3 areas for India to address ahead of their clash against the Netherlands
After a thrilling start to their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign that saw them overcome arch-rivals Pakistan, Team India will take on the Netherlands at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday (October 27). This Super 12 clash will mark the first instance of the two teams playing each other in a T20I.
The Netherlands got through the first round of the T20 World Cup before going down by 9 runs to Bangladesh in their Super 12 opener in Hobart. The Scott Edwards-led side will have their task cut out against a well-rounded Indian outfit but have the goods and the element of the unknown to spring a surprise.
The Men in Blue, on the other hand, will want a few more of their components functioning optimally as the T20 World Cup heats up. While they put in a largely good show with the ball, it was a Virat Kohli masterclass that lifted them out of the quicksand against Pakistan.
nd game of the #T20WorldCup! 
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We are here for our 2⃣nd game of the #T20WorldCup! 👏 👏
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On that note, let's dive into three areas that the 2007 champions will be keen to address ahead of their clash against the Netherlands.
#1 The start by their openers
One can argue that it's hard to read into just one game in the tournament, given that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have shown good rhythm heading into the T20 World Cup. However, their tentativeness and uncertainty against Shaheen Shah Afridi was visibly evident in the game against Pakistan.
Afridi, the wrecker-in-chief in the equivalent fixture last year, was a pale shadow of himself at the MCG. Not only did he generate minimal swing with the new ball, but his speeds had also dropped considerably. Yet, with both Rohit and Rahul deciding to adopt the safe route against him, it came back to bite them once Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf let it off a string.
Playing the ball and not the bowler or opponent is paramount to scoring runs with confidence. The Netherlands have a pretty good seam attack in their own right and the Indian openers' approach will be of intrigue come Thursday.
#2 Death bowling
India's Achilles heel caught up with them in the game against Pakistan too, with their seamers leaking runs at the death. None of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami and Arshdeep Singh got their yorker right and didn't attempt it either for large swathes.
With Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf putting away the hittable deliveries over the fence, it would have certainly raised a few worried eyebrows within the Indian think-tank.
Undoubtedly, getting those yorkers on the money and bowling to their field is something the Indian seam attack will want to accomplish against the Netherlands on Thursday. It could, in many ways, define how their T20 World Cup campaign shapes up as it goes on.
#3 Finishing their overs on time
India will have a hard time with fielder restrictions in last two overs with this over rate
It's textbook, but it is an area with regards to which India have perennially struggled in recent times. The over-rate penalty wasn't applied in their game against Pakistan but you felt that they weren't too far away from that.
For the uninitiated, failing to get your overs in on time will result in an in-game penalty that forces the captain to have one less fielder outside the 30-yard circle. India's death-bowling woes could only compound as a result of this - a feature that haunted them at the Asia Cup as well.
How skipper Rohit maneuvers his bowlers around and uses his spinners in particular could be decisive in the T20 World Cup clash against The Netherlands. After all, these are the small factors that prove to be highly impactful towards the closing stages of a match.
Are there any other areas that the Men in Blue must work upon ahead of the game against the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: T20 World Cup 2022: Top 3 Indian wicket-takers in the tournament's history