india vs netherlands: Shivam Dube stars as India finish group stage unbeaten
Shivam Dube's brutal middle-order hitting and a tidy spell from Varun Chakravarthy propelled India to a 17-run victory over the Netherlands in Ahmedabad, leaving the hosts with a perfect Group A record as they head into the Super 8s unbeaten.
Dube turns the innings around with a 31-ball 66
India stumbled early after electing to bat, losing two key top-order wickets inside the powerplay. The situation appeared fragile when Abhishek Sharma was removed for a duck off just three balls by Aryan Dutt, a dismissal that completed a worrying sequence for the opener: three ducks in his first three T20 World Cup innings and five ducks in the calendar year.
When Shivam Dube arrived, the momentum shifted. Dube smashed 66 from 31 deliveries, striking four fours and six maximums as he feasted on the slower Dutch attack. His explosive cameo included a 25-ball fifty and a punishing partnership with Hardik Pandya that accelerated India from recovery mode to a challenging total. Support from Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav helped India post 193 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Logan van Beek and Aryan Dutt made inroads for the Netherlands, sharing five wickets between them, but Dube’s assault proved decisive in setting a target that would test the Dutch chase.
Spin and composure halt the Dutch chase
The Netherlands began their reply with intent but were unable to build a sustained platform. Bas de Leede top-scored for the visitors with 33 off 23 balls, while Michael Levitt and Max O'Dowd offered glimpses of partnership potential without converting starts into match-changing knocks.
Varun Chakravarthy produced a clinical middle-overs spell, claiming 3 for 14 in three overs and turning the game with tight lines and deceptive variations. Chakravarthy removed key threats, including rewarding a scalp that mirrored the early dismissal India suffered, and his performance snuffed out Dutch momentum when the chase threatened to revive.
Dube contributed with the ball as well, finishing with two wickets to his name, and the collective effort kept the Netherlands to 176 for 7 after 20 overs. Late resistance from Zach Lion-Cachet and Noah Croes chipped away at the target, but the required rate remained out of reach once the spinners had applied pressure in the middle overs.
What this means for both teams
India complete Group A with four wins from four matches and advance to the Super 8s with confidence, their batting depth and spin options proving effective in varied situations. The unbeaten group-stage run extends the hosts’ momentum heading into the next phase of the tournament.
For the Netherlands, the loss confirms elimination after earlier results left qualification out of reach. There were encouraging individual performances and brief partnerships that suggested the side can be competitive, but they fell short of the sustained collective effort needed to chase a near-200 target against quality spin and pressure bowling.
Individual headlines from the match will centre on Dube’s destructive bat and Chakravarthy’s game-changing spin, alongside the unwanted milestone for Abhishek Sharma, whose early dismissal marked a rare and unwelcome statistical footnote in a match dominated by India’s middle-order fireworks and controlled bowling execution.
