I confess I hadn't heard of Ryan ten Doeschate till this week. Of course, I remember reading a fleeting mention of him when Kolkata Knight Riders picked him for their IPL team during the auctions. I remember wondering if he was worth choosing. Ryan ten Doeschate has proven in the best way possible, with a sparkling century against England in the World Cup, that KKR's choice was an excellent one.
Ryan ten Doeschate is a South African-born cricketer who plays for the Netherlands due to his Dutch ancestry. He has, apparently, been the stand-out player for the Netherlands for a long time now. Watching him play against England was a delight to every cricket fan. The saga of the underdog performing well, is one that can be overwhelming and amazing. The Netherlands team, their blazing orange jerseys and distinctly tough-to-pronounce names, played with heart and soul in a match that most people predicted England would win comprehensively.
Ryan ten Doeschate is a talent to watch out for
While the Netherlands' excellent performance in a match they didn't win could be attributed to horrid bowling and even more embarrassingly bad fielding by England, there is no denying the fact that the 'minnows' played with a lot of passion. It was ten Doeschate who lead the way for his team, while other batsman contributed their share to the team's challenging total. But there was no doubt who the most inspiring player was, not just with the bat, but also with the ball. Ten Doeschate picked two valuable wickets to put England on the backfoot.
An all-rounder of his talent is a prized possession and I hope he continues to inspire his team to perform even better and cause an upset or two in the World Cup. After all, to quote a Ravi Shastri cliche, 'Cricket is the real winner' when the underdogs perform exceedingly well. Ten Doeschate's brilliant century has already helped turn more eyes towards the Netherlands team. Not only will matches played by the team watched with more interest and expectations, sponsors have already come their way.
All of this is a tremendous boost for the Netherlands team and one hopes that it will reflect in the team's performance and the sport's popularity in the country.
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