In their last World Cup 2023 league match, India defeated the Netherlands by 160 runs, putting on another frightening display with the bat and the ball. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was filled to capacity on Diwali, and the spectators loved the fireworks produced by the Indian batting team before the bowlers put on a masterful display on a favorable batting surface.
India became the first team to go undefeated in the league stage of a World Cup with a single round-robin format with the historic victory on festival day. With nine straight victories, Rohit Sharma's team sent a message before traveling to Mumbai on Wednesday to play New Zealand in the opening semi-final.
Prior to their last league game, India pledged to maintain their intensity, and on Sunday in Bengaluru, they showed that they were hungry to make it nine out of nine.
India scored the second-highest World Cup total of 410 thanks to KL Rahul's 62-ball century and Shreyas Iyer's 128 not out. The Indian batsmen' display of aggression proved unstoppable as they set a new World Cup record. India took full use of their early advantage after winning the toss and choosing to bat on a surface that would suit them, as all of the hitters in the top 5 of an innings struck at least a fifty for the first time in the tournament's history.
India had to face one of their hardest trials to yet when they batted, as the determined Netherlands—who had already shown promise in victories over Bangladesh and South Africa—put up a respectable xxx runs in xx overs.
Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravindra Jadeja each took two wickets, and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with one wicket. On this festival day, supporters were treated to a double dose of joy when Virat Kohli scored fifty-one runs and rolled his arm over to take a wicket—his first of the World Cup—off the opposing skipper, Scott Edwards.
Mohammed Siraj steamed in and produced an outside edge, which was enough to remove Wesley Berresi from the Netherlands' side in the second over. Following their earlier World Cup victories over South Africa (83), and Sri Lanka (55), it appeared as though India would easily defeat yet another team.
On a useful pitch, though, the Netherlands fought back at the bat. The Netherlands achieved the highest powerplay score of the tournament against the persistent Indian attack thanks to a solid partnership between Max O'Dowd and Colin Ackermann, who put on 61 runs for the second wicket.
The turning point, though, was when Ackermann was taken out of the game by Kuldeep Yadav for 35. In the first delivery of the left-arm spinner's spell, Max O'Dowd fell to Ravindra Jadeja, failing to capitalise on a dropped catch.
After Mohammed Siraj was struck on the throat after O'Dowd's dropped catch, Mohammed Siraj required a concussion test, so Rohit Sharma had to rely on his part-timers, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Suyrakumar Yadav.
Virat Kohli took Edwards out against the flow of play with a harmless delivery that sailed down the leg side. Following the wicket, the Bengaluru crowd went wild, and Anushka Sharma, Kohli's wife, was overjoyed.
The heroic batting display was maintained by Sybrand Engelbrecht and Teja Nidamunuru, but Siraj and the Indian spinners continued to take wickets at regular intervals until the 48th over.
As India dismissed the Netherlands for 250, Rohit Sharma also claimed a wicket, that of the half-centurion Nidamunuru.