IND vs NED: Fans celebrate as Indian top order achieves 1st-ever five 50-plus scores

In an unintended yet remarkable display, all Indian batsmen seemed determined to notch up half-centuries in the final ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 match against the Netherlands at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul each achieved the fifty-run mark, creating history as the first team to accomplish this feat in a World Cup game.

Opting to bat first, Rohit Sharma and opening partner Shubman Gill provided a scintillating start, with Gill reaching his half-century in a mere 30 balls before departing at 51 off 32. The opening stand concluded at 100 runs in 11.5 overs, welcoming Virat Kohli to the crease amid thunderous cheers from the Bengaluru crowd.

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Shortly after Kohli's arrival, Rohit Sharma also secured his half-century. Despite Kohli's initial struggles, he found his groove alongside Shreyas Iyer, constructing a partnership of over 50 runs for the third wicket. Kohli notched another half-century but was dismissed shortly afterwards.

Continuing the momentum, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul both reached half-centuries, marking a historic instance in a World Cup match where all five top-order batsmen in a team achieved fifty runs. 

All batters in the top 5 scoring 50+ in an ODI innings:

AUS vs IND, Jaipur, 2013

AUS vs IND, Sydney, 2020

IND vs NED, Bengaluru, 2023*

The accomplishment ignited excitement among netizens, prompting them to praise the Indian batsmen on social media.

Earlier in the day, India captain Rohit Sharma had also surpassed Sourav Ganguly's two-decade-old World Cup record as India's highest run-scoring captain in a single campaign.

Iyer too went on to clinch his maiden ODI World Cup century. After 48 overs, India posted 368 runs having lost three wickets.