India signed off their Group A campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 17-run victory over Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Wednesday, securing four wins from four matches and heading into the Super 8 with formidable momentum.
Chasing a challenging 194, Netherlands were bowled out for 176 in 19.5 overs. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy proved the wrecker-in-chief with three wickets for 28 runs, including a devastating two-in-two in the 12th over that removed Colin Ackermann (caught at deep mid-wicket) and Aryan Dutt (clean bowled).
Jasprit Bumrah delivered a trademark yorker to castle captain Scott Edwards, while Shivam Dube claimed Bas de Leede with a sharp catch at short third man. Hardik Pandya struck early by dismissing Michael Levitt, and the Indian attack maintained relentless pressure throughout.
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Captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat first for the fourth successive time in the group stage. India lost opener Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck, his third consecutive in the tournament, tying the Indian record for most ducks in T20 World Cups shared with Ashish Nehra. Ishan Kishan (18) and Tilak Varma (28) steadied the innings briefly, but it was Shivam Dube's explosive 66 off 31 balls (4 fours, 6 sixes) that transformed a modest position into a formidable total. Suryakumar Yadav contributed 34, Hardik Pandya 30, and the duo added crucial late runs as India plundered 75 in the final five overs to post 193 for six.
Netherlands began cautiously but lost wickets at regular intervals. Max O'Dowd fell to Chakravarthy in the powerplay, and despite a dropped chance by Washington Sundar, the middle order crumbled under spin pressure. Lower-order cameos from Zach Lion-Cachet (28) and Noah Croes (22) offered late resistance, but the required rate proved too steep.
With qualification already assured and Netherlands eliminated following Pakistan's earlier win over Namibia, India used the fixture to fine-tune combinations ahead of tougher Super 8 clashes.
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