In the middle of the 2023 World Cup, the Indian cricket team paused their training to celebrate Diwali on November 11. Captain Rohit Sharma, key player Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav were captured in viral photos on social media, posing with their partners during the Diwali festivities.
The Indian cricket team, known as the Men in Blue, will play their final group match against the Netherlands in the 2023 World Cup at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, November 12.
India has been exceptional in the ICC event, winning all eight matches, making them the only team undefeated in the tournament. Following the match against the Dutch, they will encounter New Zealand in the first semi-final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on November 15.
On Saturday, Team India enjoyed Diwali, taking a brief break from their cricket activities. Check out these pictures capturing the Men in Blue’s Diwali festivities. India kicked off their journey in the 2023 World Cup with a challenging six-wicket victory against Australia in Chennai.
Since then, they have continued their success, securing wins against Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, with many of these victories being quite convincing.
If they secure a victory against the Netherlands on Sunday, they will enter the knockout stage without a single defeat.
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“We’ve had six days off” -Rahul Dravid suggests Team India is unlikely to make changes for the Netherlands match
Before the India-Netherlands match, coach Rahul Dravid hinted that there would likely be no changes in the Men in Blue lineup. He mentioned the players had a week of rest, highlighting this as their only game before the knockout stage.
“I mean, honestly, we’ve had six days off from the last game. So, we’re pretty well rested. We’ve got one game before the semifinal, and the guys are in good shape. That’s all I’ll say without giving away much,” he said.
Regarding the possibility of Prasidh Krishna playing in consideration of the knockouts, Dravid commented:
“So now at this stage, it’s about just focusing on getting the guys who you think are going to be playing in the XI in the best possible space mentally and physically, to be able to play that semi-final and, hopefully, the final if we earn it. So that will be the single-pointed thinking.”
India and the Netherlands have faced off twice in the ODI World Cup, and in both encounters, the Men in Blue emerged victorious.
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