M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore (Twitter)
The iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore brings the curtains down on the ICC World Cup 2023 league stage, with tournament hosts India facing off against spirited associate rivals the Netherlands on Sunday (November 12).
India strive to flex their muscles to an astonishing 9-0 winning streak in the marquee competition by hammering another opposition and reinforcing their renowned status as the title favourites. Rohit Sharma & company have been in devastation mode and could unleash their wrath on the inexperienced Dutch side.
For the Netherlands, it's a litmus test of their depth and skill. If they are to secure their biggest upset and a place in the Champions Trophy 2025, they must catch the mighty Indians by surprise, especially if India decide to rest a few of their key players ahead of the knock-outs.
The Dutchmen would be the first to admit they haven't played their 'A' game in the competition. However, Scott Edwards' men would recall wins over South Africa and Bangladesh to re-establish confidence within the group and give their strongest punch against the mightiest.
M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru Ground Stats
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore is known for its high-scoring nature on a flatbed of a playing surface with true bounce, insignificant movement and turn with tiny-size boundary dimensions where a mishit travels for a maximum.
In D/N matches at the ground, under lights dew and wet conditions make life even tougher for the bowlers, especially spinners, who would prefer bowling in the first half of the game to extract some help off the deck.
Thirty previous One-Day Internationals have been played at the state-of-the-art facility in the engineers' capital, with the chasing side coming out triumphant on 15 occasions. The previous World Cup clash between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the venue saw the resurgent BlackCaps dominate their hapless opposition by five wickets.
| M Chinnaswamy Stadium Ground Stats | |
|---|---|
| Highest Team Total | 401/6 by New Zealand vs Pakistan, 2023 |
| Lowest Team Total | 156/10 by England vs Sri Lanka 2023 |
| Total Matches | 30 |
| Matches Won (Batting First) | 12 |
| Matches Won (Batting Second) | 15 |
| Average Runs Per Over | 5.09 |
| Average Runs Per Wicket | 31.15 |
| Average Total Batting 1st | 258 |
It would be an understatement to suggest India are massive favourites over the Netherlands, who would require a herculean effort to give Rohit's firing set of players a hard time on a ground they know at the back of their palms.
 "Kashish Chadha")
