India's warm-up preparations involved extensive travel across the country, covering over 6000 km from Gujarat to the northeast in Guwahati and then to the southern tip of the peninsula in Thiruvananthapuram.
India enters the World Cup without completing any warm-up matches, as their scheduled practice game against the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram fell victim to rain. Similarly, their initial warm-up match against England in Guwahati saw no play, although the toss did occur. The Netherlands also experienced limited warm-up action, with their game against Australia in Thiruvananthapuram heavily affected by rain, resulting in no conclusive result after 23 overs of play and 14.2 overs of batting.
India’s warm-up preparations involved extensive travel across the country, covering over 6000 km from Gujarat to the northeast in Guwahati and then to the southern tip of the peninsula in Thiruvananthapuram. India now embark on a shorter journey to Chennai for their tournament opener against Australia on October 8. Meanwhile, the Netherlands will commence their World Cup campaign in Hyderabad, where they face Pakistan on October 6. India are considered favourites in the tournament, they have assembled a versatile squad, albeit with concerns about the right-handed top order and the No. 8 position.
Read More: ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Schedule
They made a late squad change, replacing the injured Axar Patel with R Ashwin to introduce an off-spin option. Netherlands secured their spot in the 10-team World Cup through a remarkable performance at the Qualifier in Zimbabwe, where they finished in the top two by defeating West Indies in a thrilling Super Over encounter and achieving a net run rate-driven victory over Scotland by chasing down 278 runs within 44 overs. The first match of the tournament is set to begin on the 5th of October 2023, where all the drama will unfold.
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