IND vs NED, World Cup Preview: Virat Kohli eyes landmark century as India take on Netherlands

NEW DELHI: As India continue their dominant run in the World Cup, attention turns to their final league game against the Netherlands, where Virat Kohli aims to achieve his landmark 50th ODI century. Although India have already secured a spot in the semifinals, every match in the World Cup holds significance, with both personal milestones and team goals in focus.
Kohli, having equaled Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries, is eagerly awaiting to reach the historic 50th ton. With 543 runs in the tournament so far, Kohli leads India's batting chart and is set to surpass the 600-run mark in a 50-over World Cup for the first time in his career.
The former Indian captain, known for his focus and determination, will likely approach the game with the goal of fine-tuning his form ahead of the semifinals. The match against the Netherlands presents a crucial opportunity for Kohli to achieve the milestone in front of his home crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, his IPL home.
While Kohli has been in stellar form, the team management may also want to see runs from Suryakumar Yadav, who has had a relatively modest run in the tournament. The absence of Hardik Pandya due to injury paved the way for Suryakumar's inclusion in the playing eleven, and the Netherlands game offers him a chance to make a significant impact.
The opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, while successful in three matches, has shown a minor glitch in five other games. The think tank will be keen on expanding the footprint of their successful partnerships, and the match against the Netherlands provides an ideal platform to address this.
On the bowling front, India's pacers - Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj - have consistently troubled opposition batters. The focus might be on Siraj's line and length for a bit more consistency.
As for the Netherlands, they face the challenge of giving a tough fight to the red-hot Indian side. With top-order batters struggling for runs, the Dutch camp will find it challenging to tackle India's formidable bowling lineup on the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch.
Despite India's clear dominance, every match brings its own set of challenges and opportunities, and both teams will be looking to make the most of their final outing in the league stage.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav.
Netherlands: 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.
Match starts at 2 PM IST.
(With inputs from PTI)