India 209 for 5 (Mandhana 74, Shafali 55, de Lange 2-32) beat Netherlands 114 (de Leede 28, Charani 4-19, Shafali 3-20) by 95 runs

India sealed their second consecutive win, zooming past Australia to the top of Group 1, courtesy a higher net run-rate. Netherlands, on the other hand, remain winless.

Shafali, Mandhana dominate

Shafali and Mandhana set the tone for India when they put on a 115-run opening partnership. Their stand was a study in illusion. On the pitch, they kept their shots grounded, barely taking any risks against the Netherlands bowlers through the 11.4 overs they spent in the middle together. On the scorecard, they still ticked away at a run-rate close to 10 per over.

In part, this was because of the unforced errors by the Netherlands bowlers. They frequently missed their radar, with Myrthe van den Raad bowling a 12-ball over, featuring seven runs off extras. However, it was emblematic of Netherlands’ performance with ball in hand that she still ended up conceding just 11 off the over. When she was not spraying wides down leg, she stuck to the good length area. In total, Netherlands gave away 16 runs in extras.

Shafali began upping the run rate by taking the aerial route. She brought up a 34-ball fifty – it was her first at a T20 World Cup, having made her debut in the tournament six years ago. Still, she had to depart soon after, against the run of play, when she holed out to long-on in the 12th over, mistiming a pull off Heather Siegers.

Sloppy Netherlands let India finish big

Netherlands had already racked up extras in the double-digits, and then, they dropped three chances to let India get away to an insurmountable total in the final four overs of the contest.

At this point, India were 162 for 3. van den Raad looked set to put her extras troubles further behind her with a second wicket in the 17th, when Richa Ghosh bunted an edge up in the air. However, Phebe Molkonboer – running in from extra cover – shelled the catch right next to the stumps. Off the same delivery, with no fielder backing up the stumps, Netherlands missed out on a run-out chance at the non-striker’s end as well.

Two more drops ensued: Silver Siegers dropped Ghosh in the 18th over, the ball bursting through her hands and going for four. Then in the final over, Harmanpreet Kaur was put down by Robine Rijke at mid-off. Ghosh took full toll of her second chance, scoring an unbeaten 8-ball 20, as India ransacked 41 runs off the last three overs.

India’s spin strangle

You could not fault Netherlands for their bravery with bat in hand. Opener Heather Siegers scored four fours during her 16-ball 21. She boshed drives through the ‘V’, even stepping deep into the off side at one point to Shafali in the fourth over, pulling her to long leg in a display of power and timing.

However, India’s spinners combined on a pitch that kept low and slow through the second innings to keep a stranglehold on the Netherlands batting line-up. Molkenboer, the other opener, played pristine drives of her own, but more often, failed to time her shots past a packed covers cordon. In the end, she perished on 15 off 20 in the eighth over, Netherlands just about going at a run a ball.

Netherlands go down swinging

Even as the required rate ballooned past the realm of the plausible, Netherlands’ batters skipped down the track to attack India’s bowlers. Captain Babette de Leede was stumped a long way out of her ground, looking to loft Nandani Sharma down the ground. Sterre Kalis, too, heard her stumps rattle when she swung across the wrong line against Shafali, whose slow deliveries through the air kept puzzling the opposition.

Netherlands’ wickets kept falling in the same vein post the halfway mark of their chase. Batting against Shree Charani, Frederique Overdijk holed out to long-on, Rijke was pinned lbw looking for an extravagant sweep, and Iris Zwilling was out looking for a slog sweep too, handing the India left-arm spinner a fourth wicket.

Netherlands collapsed in the end, losing their last five wickets for just one run in the space of nine deliveries. Fittingly, with just one wicket left to take, Shafali was the one with ball in hand when Isabel van der Woning looked to swing down the ground. Rodrigues ran in from long-on to complete an excellent catch and take India to the top of their table.