[Watch] Virat Kohli gifts jersey to Roelof van der Merwe as Netherlands exit 2023 World Cup on emotional note
Team India’s star batter Virat Kohli was seen gifting a jersey to veteran Netherlands all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe in a video shared on ICC’s official Instagram handle. The Dutch ended their 2023 World Cup campaign with a 160-run loss to India at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
The Netherlands finished last in the 2023 points table with two wins and seven losses. They registered impressive wins over South Africa by 38 runs and Bangladesh by 87 runs. However, their lack of experience came to the fore in most of the games against bigger nations.
On Monday, the ICC shared a video of the Netherlands players getting emotional as their 2023 World Cup journey came to an end. While Van der Merwe was seen receiving a jersey from Kohli and also exchanged a warm hug with the Indian batting superstar, a few of the Dutch players got teary-eyed.
Bowling first after losing the toss in their last league game against India, Netherlands conceded 410/4 as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul slammed hundreds. Their batting unit was then bowled out for 250 in 47.5 overs.
“They are going to be a very tough team to beat” - Roelof van der Merwe on India’s impressive form
At a post-match conference following the Netherlands’ loss to India, all-rounder Van der Merwe stated that the Men in Blue are going to be a very tough team to beat in the knockouts.
“Look, India is a very well-balanced side. They have match winners all the way through. They have shown it in this World Cup thus far. They are going to be a very tough team to beat. The other teams also, South Africa, has got match winners in their team and the consistency of New Zealand and Australia is Australia,” the 38-year-old said.
“So, it is going to be very, very interesting, but I think India does shape up well,” Van der Merwe added.
India will meet New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15. South Africa will face Australia in the second semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 16.
The final will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.