Dube, Varun help India see off Netherlands challenge

Match Overview

India and the Netherlands locked horns in the 36th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat first.

The Men in Orange had a dream start as Aryan Dutt clean bowled Abhishek Sharma for a three-ball duck. Notably, it was the left-hander's third-straight duck of the tournament and fifth of the year in the shortest format. Tilak Varma joined Ishan Kishan next and the southpaws provided the team with a good start. However, India were dealt another blow in the form of Ishan Kishan in the fifth over who was bowled by Dutt as well.

The Netherlands bowlers restricted the run flow to some extent subsequently as Varma and Suryakumar could not get away. Their 30-run partnership came to an end in the ninth over with 69 runs on the board as Varma was caught at long-off courtesy a brilliant diving catch by Roelof van der Merwe.

Shivam Dube and Suryakumar took the innings forward, but it was a short partnership again as the Indian captain was dismissed playing his trademark shot. India were 110/4 in the 14th over at this stage and needed a strong hand to finish strongly. Dube and Hardik Pandya produced a rapid 76-run partnership and that helped the team put up an ominous 193/6.

The Netherlands began the chase steadily. However, they needed a move on sooner than later, and in that quest, lost their first wicket in the sixth over with 35 runs on the board. The scoring rate again proved to be an issue with the second-wicket partnership between Bas de Leede and Michael Levitt. But, that was not the case with the subsequent stand as De Leede and Colin Ackermann upped the ante.

The 43-run partnership propped up the run rate and just when it looked threatening for India, Varun Chakravarthy produced a double blow. The run rate dropped a little bit and the target looked too far away now. Despite it, the Men in Orange kept fighting and captain Scott Edwards, Zack Lion-Cachet and Noah Croes played crucial cameos to give their team an outside chance. But with 28 runs needed off the last over, it proved a bit too many as India won the game by 17 runs to make it four out of four wins.

Top run-scorer of the match

Top wicket-taker of the match

Player of the Match

Shivam Dube

Dube came out to bat at number six when Tilak Varma fell at 69/3 in the ninth over. The team needed to up the scoring rate but keep wickets in hand as well. Along with his captain at the other end, Dube took calculative risks to lift the run rate. But by the time Hardik joined him, the southpaw was well-settled and ready to unleash. And unleash he did as the 32-year-old all-rounder completed his sixth T20I half century off 25 balls and went on to score a well-made 66.

The Mumbai player was not done though. When he came on to bowl he conceded 12 runs off his first over. But, nevertheless, made a comeback of sorts to pick up two crucial wickets in his subsequent two overs later in the innings.

Turning Point

Hardik and Dube's 76-run stand off 35 balls for the fifth-wicket was a much-needed one. Though India were in a decent position they required to boost the run rate further in the last six overs. One more wicket at that stage could have put the Men in Blue under considerable pressure to post a winning total, but the duo ensured it was not the case.

Similarly, Varun's double blow in the second innings clipped at least one wing of the Netherlands' chase as Ackermann and De Leede appeared on track to bring their team back into the game big time.

What the captains said

Winning Team Captain, Suryakumar Yadav (IND)

"Yeah, obviously, I think we wanted to bat first. We went on to score 190 and then coming out, there was a little bit of dew, a little bit challenging for the bowlers, but all in all, at the end of the day, very happy. (Happy to bat first and with dew?) Exactly, I mean, we might be in a similar situation on the next day also. We might get a slow start, but it's very important for all the batters to understand what the responsibility is, how the wicket is playing in the middle overs. And then, later on, we have enough firepower with Hardik (Pandya), Shivam (Dube), Rinku (Singh), Axar (Patel) or Washi (Washington Sundar), anyone to finish the game nicely."

"(On Dube) I think it was due. Against the New Zealand, when he played at Vizag, he got another wonderful knock. He wanted to take that Man of the Match in the game, but couldn't finish it. But today, I think the way he batted in the middle overs, took pressure off everyone, and taking it to 190 on this wicket, I think it was a very good score. (Ticked all boxes?) I mean, you can say that we have ticked almost all the boxes, but even if you win, you learn something out of it. And we have learned a few areas. We'll go back to the rooms, have a day off tomorrow, and have a chat on that."

Losing Team Captain, Scott Edwards (NED)

"Yeah, I thought we started really well. I thought a lot of credit to Aryan (Dutt). He's been sensational for us for a few years now. And yeah, I thought he really brought it up to them and almost got us that third wicket there. And yeah, we felt right in the game the whole way. (On restricting India for most of their innings) Yeah, absolutely. You know, we know they've got firepower right the way down. So, you know, to keep those guys under control for, you know, 14, 15 overs, was sensational I thought, you know, maybe a couple of missed chances, maybe a little bit of mis-execution and players like this will make you pay. Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, we knew we had to take wickets throughout, you know, four down, I think it was, at 16. So they obviously had wickets in hand there. And yeah, and obviously took down a few overs at the end."

"(On their tournament) Yeah, I think any time you come to India, you learn a lot because it is different. You know, the grounds are a lot smaller, the wickets are quite flat. The crowds, all this, you know, there's so much hype around it. So, yeah, you know, I feel like as a team, we were good in patches and we probably just missed key moments. You know, so it's almost what could have been."