Records were broken for fun today (12 November) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, as India stormed into the semi-finals of the 2023 ICC World Cup with a record-breaking nine-match winning streak, handing Netherlands a comprehensive 160-run victory.
Opting to bat first, India managed to post a humongous total of 410/4, which happens to be their second-highest total in this competition – only three shy of the figure against Bermuda.
Twin Tons Power India to 410
The platform was – for the umpteenth time – set up by skipper Rohit Sharma, who led from the front to score 61 runs in 54 deliveries. He became the first player in the history of the game to go north of 500 runs in consecutive editions of the ODI World Cup.
Alongside Rohit, his opening partner Shubman Gill also recorded a half-century, as it took India only 70 deliveries to enter three figures. Following their dismissals, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer stitched together a 71-run third-wicket stand, creating another record as India became the first team to have every member of the top four scoring a half-century in an ODI World Cup match.
Having equalled Sourav Ganguly’s record of 71 ODI half-centuries, Virat Kohli was dismissed by Roelof van der Merwe when he was batting on 51, but it was then KL Rahul’s turn to work his magic.
And work he did, scoring a century in only 62 deliveries, which is the fastest by any Indian batter at the ODI World Cup. Iyer was equally impressive at the opposite end, if not more, as he accumulated 128 runs in 94 deliveries. The pair were involved in a 208-run fourth-wicket stand, which was the fourth-highest fourth-wicket partnership among Indians.
Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma Roll Their Arms Over, Pick Wickets
India’s start with the ball was as good as their start with the bat, with Mohammed Siraj getting Wesley Barresi’s wicket in the second over. Colin Ackermann and Max O’Dowd did well to form a 61-run partnership for the second wicket, but the introduction of India’s spin twins – Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja – trigged their downfalls.
The biggest surprise of the game, in a match that was packed to the brim with surprises, was perhaps Virat Kohli dismissing Netherlands’ skipper Scott Edwards, thereby adding to his wickets tally for the first time since 2014.
Sybrand Engelbrecht, who scored 45 runs in 80 deliveries, and Teja Nidamanuru, who amassed a quick-fire 54 in only 39 deliveries, were successful in avoiding an early collapse, as the Netherlands managed to score 250 runs.
For India, four bowlers – Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj – picked up two wickets apiece. But the last surprise of the game was served by none other than the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma, who got the wicket of Nidamanuru.
The blue storm will now hit the western shores, where India will face Netherlands in the first semi-final on 15 November.
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