India completed their domination of the league stage in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 with a massive 160-run win over Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 12. The hosts remained unbeaten in their nine matches and secured the top spot in the points table with 18 points. They will now face New Zealand in the semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15.
India’s batting prowess was on full display as they piled up 410 runs for four wickets after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were the stars of the show, as they smashed centuries and shared a 208-run stand for the fourth wicket. Iyer remained unbeaten on 128 off 103 balls, while Rahul scored 102 off 94 balls. Both the batsmen hit 11 fours and two sixes each.
India’s top order also contributed with half-centuries from captain Rohit Sharma (61 off 51 balls), Shubman Gill (51 off 44 balls) and Virat Kohli (51 off 40 balls). The trio added 163 runs for the first three wickets and set the platform for the middle order to explode. India scored at a brisk rate of 8.2 runs per over and posted their highest total in World Cup history.
Netherlands’ bowlers had a torrid time as they failed to contain the Indian batsmen. Only Paul van Meekeren and Pieter Seelaar managed to take a wicket each, while the rest went wicketless. Van Meekeren was the most economical bowler, conceding 64 runs in his 10 overs. Seelaar, on the other hand, was the most expensive, giving away 91 runs in his 10 overs.
Chasing a mammoth target of 411, Netherlands never looked in contention as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Only three batsmen crossed the 30-run mark, with Teja Nidamanuru being the top scorer with 54 off 65 balls. He hit six fours and a six in his innings. Sybrand Engelbrecht (45 off 52 balls) and Colin Ackerman (35 off 43 balls) also chipped in with some runs, but it was not enough to challenge India’s total.
India’s bowlers shared the spoils as they bowled out Netherlands for 250 in 47.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each, while Kohli and Rohit also claimed a wicket each. Kohli and Rohit also rolled their arms over, along with Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, as India used eight bowlers in the match.
India did not make any changes to their playing eleven for this match, sticking to the same combination that won them the previous eight matches. Netherlands also fielded the same team that lost to England by seven wickets in their last match.
India will now face New Zealand, who finished fourth in the points table with 10 points, in the first semi-final on Wednesday. The second semi-final will be between Australia and England, who finished second and third respectively with 14 points each, on Thursday. The final will be played on Sunday, November 19, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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