India will take on the Netherlands in the final league stage match of the Men’s World Cup ODI 2023 in Bengaluru on 12th November, Sunday. The Men in Blue are having quite a sensational campaign, winning eight matches on the trot. They are the only team in the tournament thus far to remain undefeated. The Netherlands are already out of the Men’s World Cup with two wins and six losses in eight matches. However, they sprung a surprise by defeating South Africa and Bangladesh. In the points table, India are at the top with 16 points while the Netherlands are at the bottom with four points.
In the Men’s World Cup ODI, India and Netherlands have faced each other only twice since 2003, with the Men in Blue winning on both occasions. The last encounter between the two teams in the tournament was in 2011 when India defeated the Netherlands by five wickets. The upcoming match will witness India aiming to maintain an unbeaten run before the semifinal while the Netherlands will look to end their campaign on a high note.
Players To Watch Out For
1. R Sharma (IND): The Indian captain has maintained his good form in the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI. In the last match against Sri Lanka, R Sharma scored a quickfire knock of 40 off 24 balls at a strike rate of 166.67. In this tournament, the 36-year-old has amassed 442 runs, including a hundred and two half-centuries, at an average of 55.25 and a strike rate of 122.77. Sharma has a better strike rate among the Indian batsmen in this Men’s World Cup ODI. He is a reliable batsman in the powerplay because of his ability to score runs and anchor the innings. His attacking style of batting has been a big positive for the Men in Blue in this tournament, R Sharma will look to unleash his firepower in the upcoming match against the Netherlands.
2. S Engelbrecht (NL): S Engelbrecht is currently the best batsman for the Netherlands in the Men’s World Cup ODI. In the last match against England, the 35-year-old scored 33 off 49 balls. Engelbrecht is currently the leading run-scorer for the Netherlands, aggregating 255 runs, including two half-centuries, at an average of 36.42 in seven matches so far. He is one of the reliable batsmen when it comes to anchoring the innings in the middle and score runs to put up a decent total on the board for the team. S Engelbrecht can play attacking cricket when needed. He will look to come up with goods in the upcoming against India.
3. V Kohli (IND): V Kohli is in red-hot form in the ongoing edition of the Men’s World Cup ODI. There were a lot of hopes for Kohli ahead of the mega tournament. In the last match against South Africa, the 35-year-old scored an unbeaten 101 off 121 balls. With this, he equalled S Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 centuries in ODI history. V Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer for India, with 543 runs, including two centuries and four half-centuries, at an impressive average of 108.60 in 8 matches so far. His strike rate is below 100 as he has played as per the situation of the game rather than sticking to his attacking style of batting. V Kohli’s sensational form has been one of the positives for India. He quickly adapts to the changing situation of the game and plays accordingly. V Kohli will look to pose a threat to the Netherlands’ bowling attack.
4. B de Leede (NL): B de Leede has been in a good rhythm in the ongoing Men’s World Cup ODI. In the last match against England, the 23-year-old scalped 3 wickets while conceding 74 runs at an economy rate of 7.4 in his quota of 10 overs. B de Leede is currently the leading wicket-taker for the Dutch team, scalping 14 wickets, including a four-wicket haul, at an economy rate of 7.10 in 8 matches so far. B de Leede is one of the reliable wicket-taking options alongside L van Beek. He has the ability to deliver the ball at good line and length and can take wickets in the middle overs to turn the game on its head. B de Leede will look to come up with an impactful performance against a strong India batting line-up.
5. R Jadeja (IND): R Jadeja has been an asset to India for a very long time and this was proved again in the last match against South Africa. He scored a quickfire 29 off 15 balls to help his team post a total of 326/5 and then, he scalped five wickets while conceding 33 runs to bundle Proteas for 83 runs. Currently, Jadeja is the only reliable all-rounder in the absence of H Pandya. In the ongoing Men’s World Cup, the 34-year-old has picked 14 wickets, including a five-wicket, at an economy rate of 3.76 in 8 games. With the bat, 111 runs at an average of 55.50 and a strike rate of 115.62. Jadeja can take crucial wickets in the middle overs and also can anchor the innings in the middle when needed. R Jadeja will look to put on a good all-round show against the Netherlands.
Predicted Playing XI
IND: S Gill, R Sharma (C), V Kohli, S Iyer, SK Yadav, KL Rahul, R Jadeja, K Yadav, M Shami, P Krishna, M Siraj
NL: W Barresi, V Singh, C Ackermann, S Engelbrecht, S Edwards, B de Leede, T Nidamanuru, L Van Beek, R van der Merwe, A Butt, P v Meekeren,
Fantasy Playing XI Picks
Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul
Batsmen: R Sharma, S Engelbretch, V Kohli, S Iyer
All-rounders: R Jadeja, B de Leede
Bowlers: K Yadav, P v Meekeren, M Shami, L van Beek,
Prediction
India have been the dominant force in the tournament thus far and is expected to win this fixture against the Netherlands. The Men in Blue have a strong side compared to the Netherlands. The pace bowling attack looks more lethal and is likely the batting line-up of the Dutch side. The Bengaluru pitch will suit India due to players’ experience on playing such a surface. Also, the team will be backed by the home crowd at Chinnaswamy Stadium. If India opt to bat first, they will look to put a hefty total on the board.
