Sachin Tendulkar trolls South Africa after Netherlands' victory sends India to WC semis

Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has taken a dig at South Africa after their shock exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup at the hands of minnows Netherlands. South Africa were knocked out of the tournament after their humiliating defeat against the Netherlands on Saturday. The Netherlands won the match by 13 runs as they registered their first victory against the Proteas across any format. Thanks to the Netherlands' unexpected victory, India have advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup. 

Moments after the Netherlands won the match, Tendulkar took to his official Twitter handle to poke fun at South Africa. "Went for breakfast with a friend. Told him we'll go Dutch. He almost choked at the proposition!" Tendulkar wrote referring to South Africa's long-time tag of 'chokers' at ICC events. South Africa have a history of choking in crucial games in multi-nation tournaments. They have never played a final of any ICC event in the history of the game.  

"Hard one to swallow. We had the confidence and belief in ourselves as a unit to make the play-offs. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't do it. Winning the toss and bowling, what they got wasn't ideal. We lost wickets at crucial times. They used the dimensions of the field a lot better than we did," South African skipper Temba Bavuma said after the game. 

South Africa vs Netherlands

Batting first, the Netherlands posted 158 runs on the board, thanks to a fine knock from Colin Ackermann. The experienced campaigner played an unbeaten knock of 41 runs off 26 balls which included three fours and two sixes. Opener Stephan Myburgh also played a crucial knock of 37 runs off 30 balls, including seven boundaries. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj bagged two wickets. South African batsmen got off to a fine start but were unable to convert them into big scores. 

Rilee Rossouw top scored for the Proteas with 25 runs, while Henrich Klassen scored 21 runs from 18 balls. For the Netherlands, Brandon Glover bowled a brilliant spell picking up three wickets for 9 runs in two overs. Bas de Liddle and Fred Klassen chipped in with 2 wickets apiece. Ackermann was named the player of the match for his outstanding knock with the ball. 

Image: Twitter/ICC/PTI