Team India ended their league campaign as the only unbeaten team at the ongoing 2023 World Cup. Rohit Sharma and Co. defeated Netherlands by 160 runs in their final league stage fixture, in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Chasing 411, the Dutch were bowled out for 250 in 47.5 overs courtesy of two-wicket hauls from Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Rohit also took a wicket each. Initially, India posted 410/4 in 50 overs, driven by twin tons from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
Iyer hammered 128* off 94 balls, packed with 10 sixes and five fours. Rahul slammed 102 off 64 deliveries, including 11 fours and two sixes. Meanwhile, Rohit (61), Gill (51) and Kohli (51) also got half-centuries.
After the match, Kohli won the hearts of fans with a heartwarming gesture, as he handed his jersey to former RCB player Roelof van der Merwe, who took his wicket in the first innings. The ICC shared a video of the moment on Instagram, and there were also short clips of an emotional Dutch team thanking fans.
Speaking after the match, Rohit said, “Since we started the tournament, for us, it was all about thinking about one game at a time. We never wanted to look too far ahead because it’s a long tournament. It was important to focus on one game. Different venues and we had to adapt, that’s exactly what we did. Very pleased with how we have played in these nine games.”
The defeat saw Netherlands finish bottom of the table, thereby missing out on Champions Trophy qualification, alongwith ninth-placed Sri Lanka. India finished the league phase on top spot, and will take on New Zealand in their semi-final in Mumbai on Wednesday. Both sides faced each other in the 2019 semi-final were New Zealand came out on top and eventually lost to England in the final. Second-placed South Africa will take on Australia (3rd) in the other semi-final clash.
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