india vs netherlands: Dube's 66 seals 17-run win as India finish group stage unbeaten
Shivam Dube's explosive 66 off 31 balls and a tight spin spell from Varun Chakravarthy helped India beat the Netherlands by 17 runs in Ahmedabad, leaving the hosts unbeaten in Group A as they move on to the Super 8s. The match produced contrasting narratives: a batting renaissance in the middle order for India and a stubborn, but ultimately insufficient, Dutch response.
Dube counter-punches after early setbacks
India chose to bat first and were rattled early when their in-form opener failed to get going. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for a duck after facing three balls, becoming the first batter to register ducks in his first three T20 World Cup innings. The early collapse continued as Ishan Kishan also departed cheaply, leaving India in a vulnerable position at 69 for 3.
Enter Shivam Dube. He produced the kind of innings that can change the tone of a match, striking 66 from 31 deliveries with four fours and six towering sixes. Dube accelerated decisively from the middle overs, taking advantage of slower deliveries and short boundaries to rebuild the innings. Partnerships with Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya steadied the ship, while Suryakumar Yadav provided a brisk 34 to keep the scoreboard moving.
India finished on 193 for 6, a competitive T20 total that combined recovery with late aggression. The Netherlands’ pace attack, led by Logan van Beek, made inroads with wickets, but the hosts’ middle-order fireworks proved too valuable to fully contain.
Spin control and late hitting deny Dutch chase
The Dutch chase began with intent but never gained the momentum required to overhaul 194. Openers managed starts but struggled to build a platform against a disciplined Indian bowling attack. Varun Chakravarthy produced a decisive middle-overs spell, returning figures of 3 for 14 from three overs and arresting any late surge. His sly variations and ability to extract turn at crucial junctures reduced the scoring rate and picked up key wickets.
Colin Ackermann, Max O'Dowd and Michael Levitt provided useful contributions but none converted their starts into game-defining knocks. Bas de Leede top-scored with a brisk 33 from 23 balls, while Zach Lion-Cachet and Noah Croes offered late impetus with useful cameos. Dube chipped in with the ball as well, claiming two wickets to complement his batting display and ensuring the Dutch run chase never threatened to overtake the target.
Ultimately the Netherlands fell short at 176 for 7, India completing a 17-run win. The margin reflected a contest in which the hosts controlled the most important phases: rebuilding after early trouble, accelerating to a challenging total, then applying pressure with spin in the middle overs.
What the result means
The victory sends India through to the Super 8s with a perfect group-stage record, four wins from four matches. The performance underlined depth in both batting and bowling: the middle-order power to recover from early collapses and the spin resources to choke a chase. Dube’s all-round contribution — a brutal half-century followed by two useful wickets — will be the headline, but Chakravarthy’s calm, clinical bowling display in the chase was equally pivotal.
For the Netherlands, the defeat confirmed elimination after earlier results left them unable to advance. There were encouraging signs in several individual performances, and a few late partnerships hinted at what the side can build on, but consistency across all innings and tighter control in the middle overs will be areas to address going forward.
India head into the Super 8s unbeaten and with momentum, but will need to calibrate their attack and batting order as the competition intensifies. The hosts will take confidence from the way they navigated early trouble, while the Netherlands leave Ahmedabad with lessons to convert into progress for their next international assignments.
