India have secured a place in the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by 61 runs in Colombo. With a current net run rate of +0.350, Suryakumar Yadav’s men are likely to finish at the top of Group A, giving them the flexibility to experiment in their final Super 8 clash against the Netherlands on Wednesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
One potential change could be the return of Arshdeep Singh to the playing XI. He featured against the United States and Namibia but sat out the Pakistan game, with Kuldeep Yadav taking his place. Kuldeep impressed against Pakistan in Colombo, claiming Mohammad Nawaz’s wicket and finishing with figures of 3-0-14-1.
However, as India Men’s all-time leading T20I wicket-taker, Arshdeep has proven his worth over the past three and a half years, and his experience could be crucial as in the Super 8, where the pressure is expected to be on the higher side.
India could also consider Washington Sundar, the only squad member yet to play, who recently recovered from a side strain and rib muscle tear sustained during the ODI series against New Zealand and missed the five-match T20I series ahead of the World Cup.
WILL INDIA EXPERIMENT?
Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, meanwhile, stated that the team might not experiment in the upcoming game. He added that instead of trying new combinations, the Men in Blue will focus on maintaining their momentum.
“I don’t think there’ll be any experiments. However, looking at the wicket and conditions, there might be some adjustments. We don’t view any game as less important, because every match matters and the team wants to maintain momentum,” Kotak said in the pre-match press conference.
“Whether it’s a high-pressure or lower-pressure game, our approach remains the same. We played the last game with full intent, and we will approach the next game in exactly the same way,” Kotak added.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, still have a mathematical chance of advancing to the playoffs, though their net run rate of -1.352 is far from convincing. If Pakistan defeat Namibia in their second match on Wednesday, the Dutch will be eliminated. Should the Netherlands fail to qualify, they may give opportunities to Saqib Zulfiqar and Noah Croes, both of whom are yet to feature in a match during the tournament.
India vs Netherlands Predicted XI
India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(C/WK), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Kyle Klein, Fred Klaassen
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