Don't see India taking their foot off the pedal: Ryan Cook

The scenario for Netherlands is pretty straightforward heading into their last match of the 2023 World Cup - Beat India and qualify for the Champions Trophy, lose and finish at the bottom of the points table.

On paper, it might seem easily the most one-sided game of the tournament - with the table toppers playing the last-placed team. But Netherlands, despite their standing, has shown the ability to stretch teams - in victories and defeats. They were able to halt a rampaging South African side, provide a scare to Pakistan, push Sri Lanka and impose themselves against an uninspired Bangladesh side. But it won't be easy against India on Sunday, believes head coach Ryan Cook.

Despite winning every game so far and sealing top spot even before taking the field for Sunday's fixture, India's head coach Rahul Dravid had hinted that they may not resort to experimentation and resting players before the semifinals.

Cook too is expecting India to maintain their intensity ahead of the knockouts. "I don't see them taking their foot off the pedal in any way before going into the semifinals and into the finals," Cook said on Saturday. "I'm sure they'll be putting their best foot forward and preparing for us as much as they do for any other team. And we would obviously be showing them the same courtesy as well. So, we have great respect for India and the players within there. And I'm sure that they will show the same respect to us and play a great game of cricket as we will be trying to do tomorrow."

But can they stun India? The last time they faced India at World Cups in 2003 and 2011, they did give them a scare. If that isn't enough to draw inspiration from, they can look towards their performance against South Africa in this World Cup. One of Netherlands' drawbacks in this tournament has been their inability to play high-skilled cricket for long periods, negating several impact performances and moments of individual brilliance. Cook has identified that as one of the key reasons for his team's failure to perform better than what they eventually did.

"The main lesson that we've learned is that our team needs to be better for longer, whether that's with the bat or with the ball. I think we've shown glimpses of great periods of play. Some of those periods have been 20, 30, 40 overs long, but an ODI is 100 overs long and you have to play cricket for a long period of time and you have to play it really well.

"So, I think the batters are learning that, that they need to be really good at their craft for long periods of time against skillful bowlers. And obviously from a bowling perspective, the same thing."

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