INTERVIEW
Follow UsThe Netherlands have played a total of 36 white-ball games since 2023. Vikramjit Singh has played in 27 of them. While those are a high percentage of games, when the Dutch toured Nepal recently, he was kept on the sidelines for the majority of the matches, where he played just three of his side’s nine matches (2 T20Is, 1 ODI).
At 21, you want to be a part of the XI as much as possible, but that is not the case with Vikramjit. Not too long ago, in 2023, he was an integral part of the squad. He was the Netherlands’ star performer in the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifiers. He was the side’s leading run-getter in the tournament with 326 runs at 40.75, which included a superb ton against Oman as the Men in Orange made it through to the marquee event in India.
“Cricket is a tough game. Sitting out is not always nice. In those games against Nepal, we wanted to play extra spinners because wickets weren't suited for medium-pacers. I'm happy to do whatever the team needs me to do. As long as we win, it doesn't matter if I'm playing or not,” Vikramjit said in a chat with Cricket.com.
While he has been among the runs on a consistent basis in ODIs, that has not been the case in T20Is, where he averages a shade over 14 and has a strike rate of 106. Yet he got a go in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Nepal and scored 22 (28), coming in at three, in a low-scoring game.
The emergence of Michael Levitt at the top has played a huge role in pushing Vikramjit to No. 3. He batted in that position against Nepal, and for tactical reasons, he becomes a vital cog in the XI, given he is the only left-handed batter in the XI. Does he bring anything else to the plate, though?
“I've been working on my bowling quite a bit. If I get a chance to bowl, I'll give it my all. I've been bowling before in this team. Whatever the captain requires me to do, I will do it,” Vikramjit says, talking about his secondary skill, which could be an added incentive for him to play every game.
“With the captain and the coach, we talk a lot of cricket. Whatever it is - whether batting or bowling, they back me. For me, it's being clear with them, what they want me to do, and what I need to do for the team."
“We set him a challenge to offer something with the ball. He does it for his club back home. Ryan van Niekerk [Assistant coach] has worked really hard with him on getting up his pace, his run-up and just his mentality around his bowling,” Cook told this portal ahead of Netherlands’ 2023 World Cup campaign
“It's been a joy to see. He has given us some really important wickets in the Qualifiers. He has come out here and shown all the work he has been doing. A really bright future for him.”
Vikramjit made his debut for the Dutch when he was just 16. After being discovered by Peter Borren, the former Netherlands captain, Vikramjit played with him at the VRA Cricket Club when the latter was just 11.
“Peter Borren and myself, we both played at VRA. I joined the club when I was 11 years old, and he was the head coach and the captain of the first team. He used to coach the youth. That's when I met him for the first time,” Vikramjit recalls.
“I've played with him for 7-8 years. He is also one of the those I have looked up to. He has helped me a lot with my cricket. He's a father figure to me.”
Vikramjit continues to work hard on his game, spending a couple of months a year in India, where he trains with Taruwar Kohli, a former India Under-19 and Punjab batter, at his academy in India.
“Kohli has helped me a lot in the last couple of years. He's a very good coach. What he has shown me with my batting, how he goes about it and scores his runs in Ranji cricket as well, I can take a lot out of that and the way he goes on when he plays 50-over cricket. I've got a lot of learning off him,” Vikramjit, who moved to the Netherlands from India at the age of seven, said.
Scott Edwards’ men have gotten off to an excellent start in the T20 World Cup, edging past Nepal in the first game in Dallas. They have had the wood over South Africa in recent times, having beaten them at the 2022 T20 World Cup and, more recently, in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Can they complete a hat-trick?
“It's always a battle,” he says about coming up against South Africa.
“If we play our style of cricket, we can do well. Making a hat-trick against them, obviously, you'll look to win every single game you play. So yeah, I can't wait for the game.”
The Dutch have been one of the most consistent associate nations over the last 2-3 years and once again, are not to be taken lightly this time around too, as South Africa, and before them the West Indies and Bangladesh have found out. This edition of the World Cup has as many as nine associate teams participating and at least one of them are expected to make it to the Super Eights.
Do not be surprised if the Netherlands are one of them.
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