The Netherlands are not out of the T20 World Cup yet. Their qualification hopes may be slim, but they remain mathematically alive. Defeats to the USA and Pakistan dented their campaign, but a win against Namibia kept them on two points and fourth in Group A. A miraculous upset against defending champions India in their final group fixture, combined with favourable results elsewhere, could still take them through.
Despite the distant dream, the men in orange are leaving no stone unturned.
It is common for touring sides to request net bowlers from host associations, especially in subcontinental conditions where preparations often revolve around quality spin, left-arm wristspin or mystery spin in particular. But when the Netherlands arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium earlier this week, they made an unusual request to the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, they asked for a net batter, specifically, a left-hander.
Why?
The call was purely tactical. India have as many as six left-handed batters in their line-up: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel. With no left-handers in their own top order, the Netherlands wanted to simulate the match-up as closely as possible in training.
With Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy season over, the GCA scrambled to find a suitable player at short notice. Eventually, Gujarat captain Manan Hingrajia made himself available.
Hingrajia was training a few kilometres away when he received the call, asking him to report to the Narendra Modi Stadium by 6 pm. Unaware of the reason, the 27-year-old wrapped up his session, navigated the evening traffic and, upon arrival, was told to pad up and take strike in the nets.
He faced a mix of old and new balls, dispatching several deliveries into the stands.
Whether the session pays dividends for the Netherlands will be revealed on Wednesday. For Hingrajia, it was simply an unexpected extension to his day’s work.
