India will play the Round of Eight matches as an unbeaten side in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. On February 18, the Netherlands tried their best but ended in a 17-run defeat against the defending champion and co-host of the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of Team India, is arguably the happiest man on the planet right now, as his team fought against all kinds of tough situations but still stands tall. After the match, Yadav heaped praise on Shivam Dube for his timely half-century and the bowling department for delivering with impact despite dew on the ground.
Suryakumar Yadav revealed why they went to bat first
Against the Netherlands, India won the toss and went to bat first to post 193 in exchange for 6 wickets. Mostly because of the dew factor, teams often prefer to bowl first. But the Men in Blue decided to walk in the opposite direction. Later, during the post-match presentation ceremony, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that batting first was amongst their plans, keeping the upcoming matches in mind.
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“Yeah, obviously, I think we wanted to bat first. We went on to score 190, and then coming out, there was a little bit of dew, a little bit challenging for the bowlers…we might be in a similar situation on the next day also,” the skipper explained why he elected to bat first.
Suryakumar Yadav praised Shivam Dube for brilliant batting display
Early dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan offered India a challenging situation. On 4.2 overs, India was 39 for 2, not an ideal start for a high-caliber team. From there, the middle order of the team stood tall and delivered, especially Shivam Dube.
The captain praised Dube for his 66-run knock against 31 balls. Suryakumar Yadav stated that fifty-plus-run innings helped the team most to achieve the total of 190-plus, which was a good total.
“I think the way he batted in the middle overs took pressure off everyone and took it to 190 on this wicket. I think it was a very good score,” Suryakumar Yadav added.
“I mean, I’m very happy with the way things are moving on. The contribution is almost coming from every single batter. That’s what I want: those small, small partnerships. When the game is a little tight, one or two might have a beautiful day, but then we need support from all the batters to get to a good score,” he concluded.
Varun Chakravarthy pushed the Netherlands batters behind
The Netherlands batter tried well, chasing the competitive target. Though, they managed to get 176 runs for 7 wickets in the 20-over limit. Despite having the dew factor, Varun Chakravarthy, the spinner, claimed three precise wickets in his 3-over spell for an economy rate of 4.67. Dube marked his contribution with his bowling too, bagging a couple of wickets.
Team India will next face South Africa for a Super 8 match on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad at 7.00 PM IST.
