IND vs NED: Watch - Roelof Van der Merwe castles Virat Kohli right after his half-century

Virat Kohli scored 51 runs off 56 balls which included 5 fours and a six.

Team India are taking on Netherlands at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in the final league game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in the game. India got off to a great start, with all of their top-order batsmen scoring fifties. Captain Rohit Sharma (61), Shubman Gill (51), and Virat Kohli (51) guided India towards a big total in Bengaluru on the occasion of Diwali.

Virat Kohli had a cautious start against Dutch bowlers, but soon he started accelerating after crossing the 20-run mark. Virat Kohli was looking in great touch and was set for another World Cup century. But his former teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Roelof van der Merwe, shortened his stay at the crease. Virat Kohli smacked five fours and a beautiful six over mid-wicket in his 56-ball innings in the game.

Roelof Van der Merwe rattled Virat Kohli’s 50th ton hopes

Soon after completing a half-century, Virat Kohli was looking to go aggressive against spin bowlers. Roelof van der Merwe delivered one outside off that went flatter after pitching. Virat Kohli looked to play a hard slap through the backward point region, but he completely misjudged the pace of the ball. The ball hit the top of the off-stump, dislodging the bails. Merwe rattled Kohli’s dream of completing a record-breaking 50th ODI century milestone.

Shreyas Iyer has also completed his half-century, making all top-order batters go fifty-plus in one ODI innings. Shubman Gill and captain Rohit Sharma started with a bang and added 100 runs for the first wicket. Gill and Rohit scored 91 runs in the first powerplay, taking on Dutch bowling attack. Shubman Gill was dismissed on 51 runs in 32 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes, while Rohit Sharma was dismissed after scoring 61 runs in his innings.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ICC (@icc)

Team India look set for a big total as they have scored 274 runs in 39 overs, losing only 3 wickets. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are still at the crease and will be looking to build a big partnership to take India to a mammoth total against Netherlands. Virat Kohli will get a few more opportunities to complete his record-breaking milestone as India will be taking on New Zealand in the World Cup 2023 semi-finals at Wankhede Stadium.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.