India register fourth consecutive win to storm into T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eights

Team India concluded the group stages fittingly by beating the Netherlands, securing their fourth consecutive win in the ongoing T20 World Cup. With the qualification already sealed, India made two changes to the side from the game against Pakistan. Arshdeep Singh came in for Kuldeep Yadav while Washington Sundar replaced Axar Patel.

Winning the toss, India opted to bat first. Much to the shock of the Indian fans, Abhishek Sharma’s (0) downward spiral continued as he fell to Aryan Dutt in the first over. However, Ishan Kishan steadied the ship with another quickfire 18 from just seven balls while Tilak Varma (31) anchored the innings.

Aryan Dutt claimed Kishan's wicket before Tilak was joined by the incoming Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav. The duo put together 35 runs for the third wicket. Just when it felt like India was getting a hold of the equation, Logan van Beek struck to dismiss Varma.

Wobbling at 69/3, India needed a special knock in the center. Shivam Dube came firing on all cylinders to allay India’s fears. SKY played a well-orchestrated knock of 34 from 28 balls while Shivam Dube continued with his onslaught.

Kyle Klein got hold of the Indian skipper, dealing another dent to Indian aspirations but the Men in Blue stayed in control thanks to Shivam Dube. Dube joined Hardik Pandya and the duo fired at will as Netherlands lost the slight edge they had after claiming SKY's wicket.

Dube hammered 66 off just 31 balls, including four fours and six sixes while Hardik Pandya complemented him perfectly, scoring 30 off 21 balls. Pandya smashed three sixes during his innings as the two added 76 runs for the fifth wicket from just 35 balls. Rinku Singh chimed in with a late six as India racked up 193/6 from their allotment of 20 overs. Aryan Dutt was the pick of the Dutch lot with figures of 2/19.

Well aware of the total on the board, the Indian bowlers kept things in check from the start. Michael Levitt (24) and Max O’Dowd (20) looked good in the opening partnership but the scoring rate remained mediocre, playing to India’s strengths. The duo added 35 runs from 34 balls before Varun Chakravarthy removed O’Dowd.

Hardik Pandya dealt a crucial blow by dismissing Michael Levitt, closing the chapter for both Dutch openers. Bas de Leede (33) added some sheen to Netherlands’ batting unit, while Colin Ackermann (23) complemented him perfectly, upping the ante for the visitors.

With Netherlands finally getting a hang of affairs, Varun Chakravarthy applied the brakes by taking the prized wicket of Ackermann. To add to Netherlands’ woes, Aryan Dutt (0) was gone first ball, giving Varun a third wicket in the game. Shivam Dube dismissed de Leede in short succession while Bumrah hunted down Scott Edwards (15) to reduce the Orange brigade to 125/6.

With the equation becoming fairly steep, the visitors made a late surge as Noah Croes (25*) and Zach Lion-Cadet (26) put together a solid stand. However, the partnership and the fireworks came a tad too late as India was already in firm control of the game. India secured a 17-run win to maintain a clean streak en route to the Super Eights. Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 3/14 while Shivam Dube was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance.