In the lead-up to the highly anticipated World Cup, both India and Netherlands have faced some challenging weather conditions, which have affected their warm-up matches. India, one of the tournament favorites, has unfortunately not had the chance to play a single ball in their warm-up games. Their match against Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram was washed out, as was their previous fixture against England in Guwahati, although the toss did take place on that occasion.
Netherlands, too, has had minimal warm-up action, with their game against Australia in Thiruvananthapuram being heavily impacted by rain. After Netherlands had bowled 23 overs and batted for 14.2 overs, no result was possible.
India has gone to great lengths, literally, for their warm-up matches, traveling across the country from Rajkot in Gujarat to Guwahati in the northeast and then to Thiruvananthapuram in the south. Despite covering over 6000 kilometers over these journeys, India will now have a shorter trip to Chennai, where they are set to face Australia in their tournament opener on October 8.
Netherlands, on the other hand, will begin their World Cup campaign in Hyderabad, where they will face Pakistan on October 6.
India heads into the World Cup as a strong favorite, boasting a well-rounded squad. However, concerns remain about their right-hander-heavy top order and the No. 8 position. They made a late change to their original squad, bringing in R Ashwin to replace the injured Axar Patel, thus adding an offspin option to their lineup.
Netherlands earned their spot in the 10-team World Cup through an impressive performance at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, where they finished in the top two. They secured their place by defeating West Indies in a thrilling Super Over and chasing down 278 against Scotland, sealing it on net run rate. These accomplishments have certainly raised the expectations for their World Cup campaign.
