BENGALURU: 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 semifinals, where the two-time champions will take on fourth-placed New Zealand in the first semifinal 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
India wins toss and will bat against Netherlands at Cricket World Cup
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India wins toss and will bat against Netherlands at Cricket World Cup
- Undefeated India play their last league game before facing New Zealand in the semifinal
- Netherlands have beaten just South Africa and Bangladesh from their eight league matches
Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh
- Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
- Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly
RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup.
It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition.
Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.
Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.
Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.
They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.
Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.
Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.
Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.
Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.
Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.
