BENGALURU, India (AP) — India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first against the Netherlands in the final league game of the Cricket World Cup on Sunday.
India is atop the points’ standings with 16 points from eight wins – the only unbeaten side in the tournament. It will be aiming for a clean sweep in the league stage ahead of the semi-finals, where the two-time champions will take on fourth-placed New Zealand in the first semi-final at Mumbai on Nov. 15.
Second-placed South Africa will take on five-time champions Australia, which finished the league stage in third place, in the second semifinal at Kolkata on Nov. 16.
The Netherlands has four points from eight games from its two wins against South Africa and Bangladesh. It is placed tenth in the standings and needs a win against India to move to six points and edge out eighth-placed Bangladesh, which would confirm its qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The top eight teams in the league stage of this World Cup qualify for the Champions Trophy.
India is unchanged from its previous game against South Africa in Kolkata, which it won by a huge 243 runs.
The Netherlands also fielded an unchanged team from its previous game against England in Pune, which it lost by 160 runs.
A capacity crowd is expected at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with the match cooinciding with the auspicious festival of Diwali.
Star Indian batter Virat Kohli will again be in the spotlight – he has scored 543 runs in eight matches, third highest in the tournament thus far.
More importantly, he is currently on 49 ODI centuries and level with compatriot and Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, with a Sunday full-house anticipating a record 50th hundred at his adopted home ground. He plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
The Bengaluru pitch should aid batters, and Kohli in his endeavour. A high scoring game could be in the offing, with chasing under lights preferable at this venue.
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Lineups:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Lokesh Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Netherlands: Wesley Barresi, Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (captain), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
