Rampant India will look to wrap up their group stage campaign with a perfect record when they take on the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday before setting their sights on the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Group match India vs. Netherlands will kick off at 19:00 IST. JioHotstar will offer live streaming while Star Sports will provide telecast of the match in India.
An emphatic 61-run win over Pakistan secured India’s place in the next round and allowed Suryakumar Yadav’s side to approach the final Group A match with some degree of comfort. However, the competition is far from dead rubber. With a heavyweight clash with South Africa on Sunday in a repeat of the previous edition’s final, the game is an ideal opportunity to fine-tune combinations and address lingering issues.
As for India, much of the focus will remain on Abhishek Sharma. The 25-year-old endured a stop-start campaignbut inspiration is at hand in the form of opening partner Ishan Kishan, who has been in commanding touch. If any of Kishan’s fluency wears off in the middle order, India would be greatly strengthened.
Abhishek, one of the most feared batsmen in the format over the last 18 months, is yet to catch fire in his maiden ICC domestic tournament. A duck in the tournament opener was followed by illness which ruled him out against Namibia. He returned for the high-stakes clash with Pakistan but endured another first-ball dismissal, leaving India waiting for their young opener to stamp his authority on the competition.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma handled Pakistan’s spinners reasonably on a tricky Colombo pitch, but India’s larger struggle against spin remains a concern. Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus explored this weakness with figures of 4 for 20 and India currently have the lowest average and run rate against spin among the top-ranked teams in the tournament.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has hinted that Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be rested even though he is assured of qualification. Bumrah’s spell against Pakistan, which included the crucial wickets of Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha, effectively ended the match. His workload has been managed carefully, but India seem keen to keep their blade on pace ahead of the Super Eight.
The bowling unit as a whole was sharp. The conditions in Ahmedabad could encourage a slight change in the combination, with the management considering another seamer like Arshdeep Singh in place of Kuldeep Yadav.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, is no pushover. They stunned South Africa and Bangladesh during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and have repeatedly shown the ability to punch above their weight on the global stage. Progress is no longer in their hands as they require favorable results elsewhere, including Namibia’s upset over Pakistan, but they have already proven they are much more than mere participants.
Holland’s attack offers variety and finesse. Logan van Beek and Bas de Leede are adept at mixing their pace, Fred Klaassen provides the left-arm angle, while Aryan Dutt’s PowerPlay off-spin and the evergreen Roelof van der Merwe add further dimensions. It represents a valuable test for India against different bowling options before the tougher Tests begin.
If India win the toss, they are likely to bat first and make the most of the favorable night conditions to post a sizeable total. The Netherlands, on the other hand, will have to decide. They can opt to chase, which was often the preferred approach in Ahmedabad, or look to bowl first and try to prevent India from setting a daunting target.
IND vs NED: AHMEDABAD PITCH CONDITIONS
Ahmedabad has been a high scoring place so far. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, South Africa scored 213 in one night’s match, while New Zealand’s 175 in another proved short. The pitch has largely favored the batsmen and a similar surface is expected for India’s clash with the Netherlands.
IND vs NED: HEAD-TO-HEAD
India and Netherlands have only met once in T20 Internationals. India secured a comfortable 56-run victory in their previous encounter at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Sydney.
IND vs NED: PREDICTED PLAYING XI
Apart from Harshit Rana’s last-minute injury withdrawal, India have sorted out all other availability issues. The only likely change is the return of Arshdeep Singh in place of Kuldeep Yadav on Ahmedabad’s faster pitch.
India (Predicted XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
The Netherlands replaced Timm van der Gugten and Kyle Klein in their first three matches. Paul van Meekeren made just one appearance, with Fred Klaasen coming in as a left-arm option. They will probably pick two of the three pacers.
The Netherlands (assumption XI): Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (capt & wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe and two Kyle Klein, Fred Klaassen and Paul van Meekeren.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 18, 2026