India beat the Netherlands by 17 runs in the T20 World Cup, finishing the group stage unbeaten. Shivam Dube’s 66-run knock powered India to 193/6, and Varun Chakravarthy’s 3/14 restricted the Dutch to 172/7, keeping India’s Super 8 momentum intact.
Team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, finished the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 without a single defeat following a 17-run win over the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18.
After posting a total of 193/6 and setting a 194-run target for the Netherlands to chase, Team India restricted the Dutch side to 172/7 in 20 overs, securing a victory in the final group stage match before the Super 8s. Varun Chakravarthy led the bowling attack with figures of 3/14 at an economy rate of 4.70 in his spell of three overs.
Shivam Dube picked up two wickets while conceding 35 runs at an economy rate of 11.70 in three overs. At the same time, Jasprit Bumrah (1/17) and Hardik Pandya (1/40) picked a wicket each. For the Netherlands, Bas de Leede was the top-scorer with 33 off 23 balls, while Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, and Noah Croes scored 24, 26, and 25*, respectively.
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Shivam Dube Powers Team India to Competitive Total
After being opted to bat first by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Team India had a shaky start to their innings as they were reduced to 69/3 in 9 overs, with the dismissals of Abhishek Sharma (0), Ishan Kishan (18), and Tilak Varma (31).
However, India’s batting was revived through a 41-run stand for the fourth wicket between Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav (34) before India captain’s dismissal at 110/4. Thereafter, Dube was joined by Hardik Pandya at the crease, and the pair frustrated the Netherlands bowlers with their steady and aggressive partnership.
Shivam Dube completed his fifty in just 25 balls at a strike rate of 200 and played a knock of 66 off 31 balls while forming a 76-run stand for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya before his dismissal at 186/5. The partnership between Dube and Hardik was pivotal as the pair added 67 runs in five overs (14th to 19th over), taking from 113/4 to 180/4.
After Shivam Dube’s dismissal, Hardik was joined by Rinku Singh, who smashed a six to take India past the 190-run mark. The Men in Blue’s innings concluded after Hardik Pandya was dismissed for 30 on the final ball of the over, leaving the Netherlands with a target of 194 to chase in their 20 overs.
India Overcomes the Netherlands’ Resilience
Chasing a 194-run target, Netherlands’ openers Michael Levitt (24) and Max O'Dowd (20) gave the steady start to the visitors’ innings before the latter was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy at 35/1. Thereafter, Levitt’s stay at the crease also came to an end after he was dismissed at 51/2.
Thereafter, the Dutch struggled to keep the momentum going as Varun Chakravarthy’s double-wicket over in the 12th over derailed the visitors’ run chase as they were reduced to 125/6 in 15.5 overs, with the dismissals of Colin Ackermann (23), Aryan Dutt (0), Bas de Leede (33), and Scott Edwards (15). At this stage, the Netherlands required 68 off 25 balls to win the match, which was an impossible task.
However, a late yet resilient 47-run partnership between Zach Lion-Cachet (26) and Noah Croes (25*) witnessed a spirited fightback, giving India a slight scare. When the Netherlands needed 28 off 6 balls to win, Shivam Dube was brought into the attack in the final over and managed to hold his nerve, not only defending those runs but also taking a wicket of Lion-Cachet to help India pull off a victory.
The resilience of the Netherlands was commendable, but India’s all-round performance, led by Shivam Dube and Varun Chakravarthy, proved too strong, allowing the Men in Blue to finish the group stage unbeaten and carry momentum into the Super 8s.
