Spin to start with, Aryan Dutt bowling to Rohit. Good luck, pal
Netherlands are out in the middle and here come the India openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The stands are filling nicely on this Diwali Sunday. Who’s ready for fireworks?
1.55pm: Hello folks. It’s the last dance of the group stage. Can Netherlands tread on Indian toes? The anthems are being anthemed and we’ll be good to go in five
As I scamper for some early coffee, please welcome Alan Gardner on comms for the first time today.
If you’re in the US, you can watch India vs Netherlands on ESPN+
You can also follow commentary in Hindi and Tamil
1.45pm Netherlands’ journey in this World Cup will end in Bengaluru, the city where it all began in September when they arrived for a skills camp. Now, after stunning South Africa (again), beating Bangladesh, and scaring Sri Lanka, Netherlands prepare to end a memorable campaign on their grandest stage: a World Cup game against mighty India in front of more than 30,000 fans in Bengaluru. Nobody gives them a chance against the table-toppers, but the Dutch aren’t daunted, writes Shashank Kishore.
1.40pm Seldom that both teams go into the game without any changes. I am on board with India’s thinking though. They’ve had a week-long break, and with the the semi-final a few days away, time on the field should keep them in good stead.
Tac: “Kohli and Baressi are the only surviving players from these two team’s last WC encounter from 2011 in Delhi.”
Daniel: “Would love to see the Dutch do well here, get some players into franchise cricket.”
Mustafa Moudi: “After mastering chasing in their first 5 matches, India are now batting first for the 4th Time in a row. This is excellent captaincy from Rohit to tick all Boxes before playing the Knockouts !!”
Zad: “India were bowled out for 204 in 2003 game between these 2 teams, where Tim de Leede was POTM picking 4 wickets, 20 years later, hope to see his son Bas do something special too. “
Playing XI
India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Netherlands: 1 Max O’Dowd 2 Wesley Barresi, 3 Colin Ackermann, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt and wk), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Roelof van der Merwe, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren
1.30pm Toss: Rohit Sharma has the coin. India win the toss and will bat first.
Rohit Sharma: Regardless of what happens the toss, we have done well. Good opportunity for us to tick all the boxes. Extremely happy with how we have played this tournament. Makes the job easier as a skipper. We are playing the same team.
Scott Edwards: We have been pretty good overall. We’ve had two good wins, and today we want to put in a good performance. This is the biggest crowd we’ve had in the tournament. We will have to be at our best today. World Cup in India is as big as it gets. We could have played better, but it’s been great. Same side for us.
Toss in just a bit…
Pitch report by Sanjay Manjrekar and Aaron Finch: Humidity is 59%. a little high. Center pitch to be used. The side boundaries are very short. 64 metres side boundaries. Straight boundaries are 73 metres. The pitch looks an absolute beauty, very hard, absolutely rock hard. The pitch has a sheen to it. As a batter you see that and start licking your lips. This is a beautiful pitch to bat. You can take a bit of time at the start but once you get set, these boundaries are not big enough for anyone.
1.25pm As far as the changes are concerned, Rahul Dravid has hinted that that India won’t make many changes against Netherlands even though they are guaranteed to finish on top of the points table. “I mean, honestly, we’ve had six days off from the last game,” Dravid said on the eve of the match in Bengaluru. “So, we’re pretty well rested. We’ve got one game before the semi-final and the guys are in good shape. That’s all I’ll say without giving away much.” Here’s more.
As far as Netherlands are concerned, Ryan Cook, the head coach, believes his side has earned the respect of opponents for their style of play and ability to compete for long periods. “I have actually had a few teams’ coaches approach me and ask about our schedule and how potentially they could fit into their schedule, so that bodes well,” Cook said.
1.20pm Will he, won’t he? There is a chance for Virat Kohli to get to 50 centuries in ODI cricket today at a venue he’s often called his second home. Bengaluru is ready. There have been 49 cut-outs of each of Kohli’s 49 centuries placed outside the ground. The crowd is already buzzing in anticipation of that 50th century.
Dayanand Saroj: “I don’t expect any changes in Indian lineup as this game is after a week and don’t players need such a long break before Semis against Black caps.”
Chandra: “How is the weather today? Big question: Will Kohli get his 50th hundred in his favourite ground ” The answer to you first question: bright and clear. And if Kohli does, Bengaluru is going to go crazy.
Paresh: “Hey Ashish, do you think the crowd turn up with Diwali today?” About 45 minutes to go for the match to start and the ground is already half full. So, yes, the crowd will turn up for sure.
Chan: “Expecting some changes in the team today : Out : Bumrah, Siraj, Jadeja, Rohit In: Shradul, Prasidh, Ashwin, Kishan. Rahul to Captain today and Kishan to open batting ” Wow, those are some wholesale changes, Chan. Don’t think any of that will happen.
1.10pm Can India make it 9-0? They’ve been occasionally tested, but India’s World Cup run has been nothing short of magical. The batters have scored runs aplenty, the fast bowlers have hunted as a pack and the spinners have been among the wickets. For Netherlands, they have a chance a win here will help them get into the top eight and score a Champions Trophy qualification. It will be excruciatingly difficult though, as eight other teams have already learnt. Sreshth Shah has more in his preview.
1.00pm Hello, hello. Wishing everyone a very happy Diwali. After 44 group games – some high-octane, some not so, some controversial (hello naagin derby), some well friendly – we are down to one last match. India vs Netherlands – no. 1 vs no. 10 on the points table. But, don’t take anything away from Netherlands, they have made some of the top teams sweat and whatever happens today, they can hold their heads high. I am Ashish Pant and will soon be joined by Alan Gardner as we bring to you all the updates and coverage from the M Chhinaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
