India head into ODI World Cup 2023 without playing warm-up games as match against Netherlands gets washed out

Indian Cricket team. (Photo Source: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Team India heads into the much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup without playing a warm-up match as their game against the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram has been called off due to persistent rain. Earlier, both the Netherlands’ first exhibition match against Australia and India’s game versus reigning champions England were called off due to rain. The ICC global event will be played across 10 cities in India from October 5 to November 19.

The forthcoming World Cup will be the first men’s World Cup to be hosted solely by India. Earlier, India was co-hosted by other nations in the Indian subcontinent in 1987, 1996, and 2011. The ‘Men in Blue’ will begin their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign against the five-time champions, Australia, on October 8, in Chennai. On the other side, the Netherlands’ first game of the tournament will be against Pakistan on October 6, in Hyderabad.

🚨 MATCH ABANDONED 🚨

Rain has the final say in Thiruvananthapuram as the #CWC23 warm-up clash between India and Netherlands has been called off 🌧 pic.twitter.com/QZt8eI4hDv

— ICC (@ICC) October 3, 2023

Team India in high spirits after beating Australia in ODI series after becoming Asia champions

India are highly motivated heading into the ODI World Cup 2023 as they are coming off a home series win against Pat Cummins-led Australia. The Men in Blue staged an outstanding performance in the first two ODIs despite falling short in the final game.

Prior to this, India have had an outstanding run in the Asia Cup 2023, which was co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. The team captained by Rohit Sharma was outstanding throughout the continental championship, as they took home the trophy for a record-breaking eighth time after defeating Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo. Another outstanding performance came in the Super Four stage against arch-rivals, Pakistan, whom they defeated by a massive 228 runs.

Meanwhile, The Netherlands last played an ODI game was the ICC World Cup Qualifier final against Sri Lanka contested in July in Zimbabwe. The Dutch team failed to perform in that game, as they suffered a defeat by 128 runs against the island nation.