The State of Play
India have swept all before them so far in the World Cup, becoming the only team to have won every one of their group games to this point. It seems inconceivable they will lose that record against the Netherlands. India know they are all-but certain to face New Zealand in the last four on November 15 in Mumbai and, while this match is a slight inconvenience, they won’t want to go into the Black Caps game on the back of arguably the biggest shock in World Cup history.
The Netherlands can still qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy by virtue of a top-eight finish but it’s an unlikely eventuality. They need to beat Rohit Sharma’s all-conquering side and hope results elsewhere go their way. The chances are they will finish bottom of the pool but they can still take plenty away from this tournament – not least wins over South Africa and Bangladesh.
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Team News
India could make a few changes, particularly in their fast bowling ranks, keeping them fresh for New Zealand.
Jasprit Bumrah could make way for Prasidh Krishna – a late call-up for the injured Hardik Pandya – while Mohammed Siraj is set to sit this one out, giving another opportunity to Shardul Thakur who featured earlier in the tournament. They are also set to give Ishan Kishan a game in place of Suryakumar Yadav, who is the one Indian player yet to really impress.
There remains the slim possibility of leaving out one of their star batters but with the likes of Sharma and Virat Kohli in such fine form, that seems unlikely.
The Netherlands don’t have the same squad depth as their opponents and will look to stick to the line-up that were well beaten by England last time out.
Expected Line-ups
India: Sharma (c), Gill, Kohli, Iyer, Rahul (wk), Kishan, Jadeja, Thakur, Shami, K Yadav, Krishna
Netherlands: Barresi, O’Dowd, Ackermann, Engelbrecht, Edwards (c, wk), De Leeds, Nidamanuru, Van Beek, Van der Merwe, Dutt, Van Meekeren
What They Said
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Kartik to Cricbuzz on how good the current ODI side are
“I’m going out on a limb to say this but this Indian team is probably the strongest team that India has ever had in ODIs. In World Cups for sure. There’s no Indian team that has dominated like this current 2023 team. You have to pit it against other Indian teams which have done very well but it will run other teams very close to it being the greatest ODI team ever in terms of performances and pressure.”
Teja Nidamanuru on the Netherlands’ hopes of beating India
“It’s a game of cricket, right? Obviously, you need a bit of luck. There’s no doubt that they’re a very strong team and they’ve been playing very good cricket, but funnier things have happened in the game.
“To play arguably the best team in the comp, at the top of the table, is something that we’re very excited by and it’s another opportunity for us. Every time we step on the park, we’re trying to showcase our skills and do the best that we can, especially being at the World Cup and coming through the journey that we’ve done.”
Prediction
Even if they make a few changes, India will have far too much for the Netherlands. A resounding win will represent the perfect warm-up ahead of the New Zealand game.
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