3 reasons why India shouldn't rest any players for the 2023 World Cup clash against Netherlands

Team India have already secured their spot in the first semifinal of the 2023 World Cup. They will face off against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15.

Rohit Sharma and Co. have been on an incredibly hot streak in the tournament so far, with eight wins out of eight. They were the first team to qualify for the semifinals and have barely had to make any unforced changes to their playing XI throughout the World Cup so far.

Head coach Rahul Dravid has already spoken about the team management's intent to keep a focus on the larger picture, which involves getting the ideal XI some gametime ahead of the semifinal and potentially the final. He hinted that the side won't make unnecessary tweaks to the XI for their last league clash against the Netherlands on Sunday, November 12.

That seems like a sensible decision. Here are three reasons why India shouldn't rest any players for their 2023 World Cup clash against the Netherlands.

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#3 India shouldn't tinker with a fixed combination

All of India's players know their roles well

All of India's players know their roles well, and there's no need to change that ahead of the final four.

Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishan Kishan are the four men on the bench right now, and none of them will be straight swaps in the playing XI. Either in the bowling or the batting department, including one or more of them will mean that other roles will have to be altered as well.

For example, if Prasidh replaces Jasprit Bumrah against the Netherlands, Mohammed Shami might have to take the new ball alongside Mohammed Siraj instead of bowling first change, because the Karnataka-born pacer has often been used in the middle overs to hit hard lengths and generate appreciable bounce.

Similarly, any changes India make will have a snowball effect and potentially hamper their chances of making it through the semifinal against New Zealand unscathed.

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#2 The hosts need their players in top rhythm ahead of the knockouts

Shubman Gill is due a big score or two

Resting players ahead of the most important matches is never ideal. While India themselves have managed to make it work by giving players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma some time off before important assignments, doing it in a solitary game is a different prospect altogether.

The Men in Blue will face New Zealand on Wednesday, and spending some time in the middle without much riding on the game will be almost a practice session for the side. They will also feel the pressure of a World Cup match, meaning that it'll be the best of both worlds.

By resting and rotating, India will run the risk of some of their players losing rhythm ahead of the all-important semifinal against the Blackcaps. That's all the more likely because...

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#1 India have had a long break ahead of the Netherlands clash

Jasprit Bumrah and Indian pacers will be feeling good after a week off

It's been a week since India took on South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and romped to a 243-run win. They've had some solid time off to rest and recover ahead of the Netherlands clash.

This means that the primary reason behind resting players, which is to manage their physical and mental workload, becomes a moot point. The Men in Blue are not overworked at this point in time, and Dravid highlighted the same at a pre-match press conference.

Had India played recently, the situation would've been different. As things currently stand, though, they have no need to push some players to the bench and ring in changes.