India will play as an undefeated team in eight rounds of matches in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. On 18 February, the Netherlands gave their best effort but ended with a 17-run defeat against the defending champions and co-hosts of the tournament.
Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav is arguably the happiest person on the planet right now, as his team fought through all kinds of tough situations but still stood firm. After the match, Yadav praised Shivam Dubey for the bowling department for scoring a timely half-century and making an impact despite the dew on the field.
Suryakumar Yadav reveals why he came out to bat first
India, who came to bat first after winning the toss against Netherlands, scored 193 runs for 6 wickets. Due to the dew factor, teams often prefer to bowl first. But the men in blue decided to move in the opposite direction. Later, during the post-match presentation ceremony, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that batting first was one of his plans keeping the upcoming matches in mind.
“Yes, obviously, I think we wanted to bat first. We scored 190, and then coming out there was a bit of dew, it was a bit challenging for the bowlers… We could be in a similar situation the next day,” the captain explained as to why he decided to bat first.
Suryakumar Yadav praises Shivam Dubey for his brilliant batting performance
The early dismissal of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan created a challenging situation for India. India were 39 for 2 in 4.2 overs, not an ideal start for a high caliber team. From there, the team’s middle order stood up and performed well, especially Shivam Dubey.
The captain praised Dubey’s innings of 66 runs in 31 balls. Suryakumar Yadav said that innings of more than fifty runs helped the team the most to achieve a score of more than 190, which was a good score.
Suryakumar Yadav said, “I think the way he batted in the middle overs, it took the pressure off everyone and the score reached 190 on this wicket. I think it was a very good score.”
“I mean, I’m very happy with the way things are going. Contributions are coming from almost every single batsman. That’s what I want: small, small partnerships. When the game is a bit tight, a day or two can be beautiful, but then we need support from all the batsmen to reach good scores,” he concluded.
Varun Chakraborty pushed back the Netherlands batsmen
A good effort from the Netherlands batsman while chasing a competitive target. However, they managed to score 176 runs for 7 wickets in the limit of 20 overs. Despite the dew factor, spinner Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets at an economy rate of 4.67 in his 3-over spell. Dubey also contributed with his bowling and took some wickets.
Team India’s next match for the Super 8 match will be against South Africa on 22nd February at 7.00 pm Indian time at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
read moreShivam Dubey warmly welcomed by his teammates and fans after his impressive innings against Netherlands