India lived up to their reputation as title favourites as they tamed the Netherlands by 56 runs in what turned out to be a one-sided encounter at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday, October 27. The bowlers starred as they defended the 180-run total successfully, keeping the Netherlands restricted to just 123/9 in their 20 overs. This was after Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav and captain Rohit Sharma had hit fifties to help India finish their innings and score 179/2 in their 20 overs, after a rather slow start in the first six overs. India won the toss and Rohit Sharma opted to bat first, perhaps looking at how high-scoring the game between South Africa and Bangladesh was. But the Indian batting did not fire up front as they would have wanted to. ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table Super 12 Updated Live

KL Rahul, who has been at the receiving end of some flak for his poor form, failed once again after being dismissed lbw. After his dismissal, skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli joined forces to stitch a 73-run partnership. Sharma hit a fifty signalling his return to form with the right-hander playing some good shots on both sides of the wicket. Kohli on the other hand took his time and did find the gaps at times. After the captain departed, Kohli took charge with Suryakumar Yadav, who plays the only way he knows. The dynamic batter, after a rare failure against Pakistan, showed his array of shots on both sides of the wicket with an attractive 25-ball 50. Kohli at the other end, continued his good form and struck his second consecutive half-century, which involved an eye-catching six on the off-side. The duo's 95-run stand led India to 180, a total that many thought would be safe on this track.

And they were right. The Indian bowlers did not let the Netherlands settle down in the run chase as they picked wickets at regular intervals. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided the early breakthrough with the dismissal of Vikramjit Singh. The spinners then tightened India's grip on the game, dismantling the Dutch batting line-up with timely wickets. The task eventually turned out to be quite a daunting one for the Netherlands, who ended up with 123/9.

IND vs NED, T20 World Cup 2022 Stat Highlights:

#Virat Kohli scored his 35th T20I fifty.

#Rohit Sharma struck his 29th half-century in T20Is.

#Suryakumar Yadav scored his 10th fifty in T20I cricket.

#He also is the highest run-scorer in T20Is in 2022 with 867 runs.

#The dynamic player also became the first Indian batter to register a 50+plus score in T20Is for the eighth time in a calendar year.

#Kohli surpassed Chris Gayle (965 runs) to become the second-highest scorer in T20 World Cups, with 989 runs.

#Arshdeep Singh has taken 22 wickets in his first 14 T20Is for India, the most by an Indian pacer in the same number of matches.

#With this victory, India won their 57th match in 2022.

Having clinched a resounding win, India would now aim to maintain this confidence and momentum when they take on an in-form South Africa outfit, on October 30. The Netherlands on the other hand, will hope for an improved performance when they meet Pakistan on the same day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2022 05:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).