Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 11 (ANI): Netherlands opening batter Max O’Dowd said that India skipper Rohit Sharma and stalwart batter Virat Kohli are the best in the world and joked that he is glad he doesn’t have to bowl against them ahead of their final World Cup group stage clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
On the eve of the clash, the Dutch players geared up to prepare for their final World Cup 2023 match against India by hitting the nets and formulating plans to face the unbeaten host.
While speaking to ANI, Max talked about the potential threat Rohit and Virat carry and was hopeful that they can dismiss both batters.
“I think they are dangerous players, they are some of the best in the world. Thankfully I am not a bowler and I don’t have to bowl to them. Hopefully, we can get them out,” Max told ANI.
While Indian batters have made their mark, the bowlers too have taken the opposition by storm making batters toil hard in the opening overs. While singing praises of the Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, Max added the spinners in the list as well claiming that all five are the best in the world.
“Obviously the strongest team in the competition at the moment it is going to be very tough at their home ground and also on the occasion of Diwali we play India so ot doesn’t get much better. All of them are in the top bowlers in the world. I have never faced them personally. It will be an awesome challenge to face those three bowlers, Kuldeep and Jadeja as well. The five bowlers they have are arguably the best bowlers in the world,” Max added.
Netherlands batter Vikramjit Singh also spoke about facing the unbeaten Indian team, their plan of attack and the team’s hopes for clinching a victory on Diwali.
“The plan is very simple, to stick to our basics and on what we have been good at like you have seen against South Africa. We have played the brand of cricket that we are known to play. I think there’s no doubt in my mind that we could beat them. I hope the Netherlands comes over the line and beat India. We gonna play our best cricket. I am just hoping for a win for the Netherlands on Diwali,” Vikramjit said.
The Netherlands have had their moments to shine in the World Cup as they produced arguably the biggest upset in the World Cup by defeating South Africa. They also turned the tides against Bangladesh to register their second victory in the World Cup and showed glimpses of their true potential against the likes of Pakistan.
Dutch cricketer Sybrand Engelbrecht is keen on producing a collective performance and said, “I think we are feeling good. The guys have shown glimpses of good performances in the tournament. We would love to bring it all together for tomorrow’s game against probably one of the best teams in the world.” (ANI)
