India stretched their unbeaten run in the T20 World Cup 2026 with a 17-run victory over the Netherlands in their Group A match on Wednesday, though the contest was tighter than the final margin suggests.
India’s innings
After opting to bat, India finished on 193 for six, but the innings did not flow smoothly at the start. Their ongoing struggle against spin bowling surfaced again in the powerplay, with Dutch off-spinner Aryan Dutt leading the charge.
Dutt bowled three overs up front and made an immediate impact against India’s left-handers. Abhishek Sharma’s lean run in the tournament continued as he fell for his third consecutive duck, beaten while attempting a pull shot. Ishan Kishan began brightly with a quick 18 off seven balls but was dismissed in unfortunate fashion, the ball deflecting onto his stumps as he tried to play to the leg side.
Tilak Varma looked composed and struck a straight six off Logan van Beek, but his innings of 31 ended when Roelof van der Merwe pulled off an excellent catch at long-off. At 74 for three after 10 overs, India were in need of momentum.
That shift came through Shivam Dube. Taking a few deliveries to settle, he soon began clearing the ropes with confidence. Dube hammered 66 off 31 balls, hitting six sixes, most of them in the midwicket region. He found strong support from Hardik Pandya, who added 30 from 21 balls. The pair stitched together a 76-run stand that changed the tempo of the innings.
Suryakumar Yadav also contributed 31, surviving an early dropped chance. India collected 75 runs in the final five overs, pushing the total close to 200.
Netherlands’ chase
Chasing 194, the Netherlands showed intent but struggled to keep up with the required rate. They were 72 for two at the halfway stage, with Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann trying to rebuild after early wickets.
De Leede top-scored with 33 off 23 balls, playing some confident strokes, but regular breakthroughs kept India ahead. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers claiming three wickets and tightening the screws in the middle overs. Shivam Dube got two and Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya picked up one wicket each, while Washington Sundar went wicketless despite completing his full quota of overs.