We have flexible plans for death bowling in T20 World Cup: Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Oct 27, 2022
Sydney [Australia], October 27 : Following his side's 56-run win over the Netherlands in their ICC T20 World Cup, Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said that the Men in Blue have flexible plans for death bowling in the tournament and things go up and down for bowlers in the shorter format.
A superb performance by Indian bowlers coupled with half-centuries by the trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav helped Men in Blue clinch a 56-run win over the Netherlands in their Group 2, Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
"There is flexibility in our plans for death bowling in this tournament. You cannot plan early in this sport," said Bhuvneshwar after the match.
"I did not know what was the talk about (his death bowling in and after 2022 Asia Cup) since my social media accounts are shut. In Perth, we all practiced and strategised and it was a crucial period. After winning the first match (against Pakistan), which was a do-or-die one for us, we felt confident. We as a bowling unit though felt that we gave away 15-20 runs more. As a team, we know that things go up and down. T20I format is tough on bowlers and batters both," he added.
The bowler praised young pacer Arshdeep Singh and his curiosity to ask questions and get guidance from his seniors.
"He is always asking me, Virat and Rohit that how is the wicket here in Australia and what kind of shots batters play here. He has bowled well since his debut," he said.
With this win, India are at the top spot in the points table with four points in two wins in two matches. The Netherlands are at the bottom and are yet to score a point.
India scored 179/2 in their 20 overs after opting to bat first. Virat (62*), Suryakumar Yadav (51*), and skipper Rohit Sharma (53) scored half-centuries. Rohit and Virat put on a stand of 75 runs for the second wicket while Suryakumar and Virat put together an unbeaten stand of 95 runs of 48 balls for the third wicket.
KL Rahul failed to fire once again, scoring only 9 runs.
Fred Klaassen and Paul van Meekeran took a wicket each for Dutch.
Chasing 180, Netherlands did not really look like a threat and Indian pacers and spinners exerted pressure on the batters from ball one. Tim Pringle (21) and Colin Ackermann (17) were the top two batters for the Dutch side. They finished the innings at 123/9 and lost the match by 56 runs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/9), Axar Patel (2/18), Arshdeep Singh (2/27) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/21) took two scalps for India. Shami got one wicket.
Suryakumar Yadav became the 'Man of the Match' for his brilliant half-century.
Brief Scores: India: 179/2 (Virat Kohli 62*, Rohit Sharma 53, Paul van Meekeran 1/32) beat Netherlands: 123/9 (Tim Pringle 20, Colin Ackermann 17, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/9).
