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PremiumLIVE India vs Netherlands, ICC World Cup 2023 Warm Up Match Highlights: Rohit Sharma led Indian side was all set to square off against the Netherlands at the Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram today. India looked to provide ample of opportunities to all the players during the second warm-up match while cementing their playing XI ahead of their ICC World Cup 2023 opening game against Australia on October 8.
India is coming off a recent series win against five-time world champions Australia, giving them a lot of confidence going into the all-important World Cup which is returning to India after a gap of 12 years.
Netherlands, on the other hand, had faced Australia in their first warm-up match at the same venue on September 30 in a game marred by rain. While no result could be obtained, Australia scored 166 for the loss of 3 wickets in their 23 overs while Netherlands could score only 84 runs and lost 6 wickets before the match was eventually called off.
According to a Cricbuzz report, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli did not join the Indian squad on the flight form from Guwahati to Thiruvananthapuram and instead flew to Mumbai owing to a ‘personal emergency’.
The outlet reported that other members of the Indian contingent arrived on Sunday evening for the match against the Netherlands on October 3.
Like the last match between the two sides, rain played a significant role in this warm-up match. Thiruvananthapuram is also the venue where the most warm-up matches (2) for the ICC World Cup 2023 have been called off owing to rains.
After the toss was delayed due to rain, the today's match is called off. This is the third warm-up match in Thiruvananthapuram to be called off due to rain.
Following persistent rain, the warm-up match between India and Netherlands has been abandoned, confirmed BCCI. Taking to X, it wrote, “UPDATE: The warm-up match between India & Netherlands is abandoned due to persistent rain." Even the toss was delayed due to rain in Thiruvananthapuram. No warm-ups for India before the World Cup then.
News pouring in is that the match has been abandoned as the rain has gotten heavier again. Just 20-25 minutes ago, the covers were off and it appeared there would be a game. However, it wasn't to be. Meanwhile, Australia vs Pakistan and Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka are still going on.
After a small break, the drizzling started all over again and the covers returned on the field.
Other matches: Kusal Mendis has gone into rocket mode for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan. He has scored 63 off 41 and Sri Lanka are 111/2 in 16 overs. Meanwhile, Australia are 150/2 against Pakistan in 23 overs. Marnus Labuschagne on 40 off 30, Steve Smith on 25 off 26. Usama Mir got the wickets of openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh.
After the rains stopped, covers have been removed. An hour and twenty minutes have already been lost. The covers are being folded, the pitch is fully uncovered.
Rain stops but covers still on. The umpires were out and were having a chat. An update is expected at 3pm.
Speaking during an ESPN Crincinfo documentary, Rauf said, "When I was a net bowler with the Indian team, and was bowling to Virat Kohli, I felt like he knew exactly where the ball was going to hit his bat. He was very focussed and that showed how sharp his concentration was. Even during practice session in the nets, he unleashed so much aggression that, it felt like I was playing a match against him despite being a net bowler. His remarkable control and intensity made me realise why he has such a reputation in the game," Rauf said in his documentary on ESPNCricinfo.
The covers are still on at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapura. The match was due to start at 14:00, but the rain delay means that the final warm-up match before the 2023 World Cup will have a delayed start, if at all.
If the match between India and Netherlands is also called off, it will be the third warm-up game to be called off at the Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Netherlands' earlier match against Australia on September 30 was also called off, after being cut short to 23 overs.
India would not mind a bit of rest ahead of the start of the World Cup season with the opening match against Australia on October 8.
Toss for the India vs Netherlands warm-up match at Thiruvananthapuram has been delayed owing to rain. According to Accuweather, Thiruvananthapuram is likely to witness around 18mm rainfall during the day with 44% chance of thunderstorms.
In an interaction with Star Sports, Gambhir said, “The kind of ability he has. India are playing the World Cup at home. We all know about Rohit Sharma's record at home. He has three or four double hundreds. So I'm sure he will be really looking forward to and he will be eager to turn it around for India,"
India's final squad for World Cup:
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Netherland final squad for World Cup 2023:
Scott Edwards (c), Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Colin Ackermann, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Ryan Klein, Wesley Barresi, Saqib Zulfiqar, Shariz Ahmad, Sybrand Engelbrecht
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Shastri said, “You have to be flexible. I will go one step ahead and watch the oppositions and think how they will play whom. And now that Ashwin is in the 15, it makes a challenge for the XI all the time. Kuldeep is not a certainty, unless he comes in and starts off brilliantly. Yes there is no question about Kuldeep's performance... he has been bowling at his best after a long time. But on a certain day and on a certain track...if the pitch is dry, you would want only two fast bowlers because there is Hardik Pandya as well,"
According to Accuweather, there is a 97% prediction of rainfall during the day and 44% chance of thunderstorms. There could be around 18 mm of rainfall during the day which could play a major part in ruining India's preparations ahead of the ODI World Cup. The temperature in Thiruvananthapuram is expected to hover between 25 to 30 degrees Celsius today.
In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Shastri said, "I'll be watching him closely, very very closely. Because if your top order is firing, so you have 6-7-8 players, you will play him or Shreyas Iyer at this moment. But if all the batters are getting runs then that guy becomes the X factor in a big game, he can win you a game. Because at 6-7-8, the damage he can do with Hardik, they can just take the game away from the opposition in the last 6-7 overs. So that X factor you gotta think of, I can imagine that your batting is struggling but it's not the case,"
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Gavaskar said, "Not really. With the kind of experience that he (Jadeja) has, it's not a worry. The important thing is that he is such a fast runner between the wicket. Often, we overlook it… the fact that from the non-striker end, he helps the batter covert ones into twos. So, I think those are the little things that are important. So yeah, I am not worried after Ravindra Jadeja at all. He is a top player, a wonderful player… rockstar, like Shane Warne once said,"
Rohit Sharma-led Indian side arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday evening for their second and final warm-up match on October 3 before the start of the ODI World Cup with one notable omission that of former skipper Virat Kohli. While the rest of the Indian squad got on a special flight from Guwahati for around 4 hours journey to Thiruvananthapuram, Virat had to part ways with them owing to a ‘personal emergency’.
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India vs Netherlands warm-up match will air live on Indian television via Star Sports channels. Indian viewers can also enjoy free live streaming of these matches on the Disney+Hotstar app and website. The match starts at 2 PM.
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