T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Netherlands Match Preview

T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Netherlands Match Preview

India’s (get your jerseys now) play the Netherlands in their final league game and after winning three on the bounce, the men in blue will look to enter the Super Eights with a perfect record. Ishan Kishan has been the man in form for the two-time champions but it's the middle-order that still hasn't operated at its potential best. Abhishek Sharma is yet to get off the mark in T20 World Cups, Tilak Varma has spent some time out in the middle but he's far away from his fluent best.

Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh have only shown glimpses of what they can do. India will be preparing for the Super 8s by focusing on tactical adjustments, individual form, and establishing a more aggressive style of play despite their current undefeated streak.

• Fine-Tuning Playstyle and Scoring: While India has comfortably won all three of its opening matches, the team is yet to go full throttle. They are aiming to use their final group match in Ahmedabad, a high-scoring venue, to push their scoring limits, having not yet surpassed 209 runs in the tournament.

• Addressing Player Form: A specific area of focus is opening batter Abhishek Sharma, who has had an "inauspicious" start to the World Cup with two ducks and a stomach illness. The team is looking for him to find his rhythm in the final group game so it does not weigh on him during the Super Eights.

• Conditions-Based Team Selection: India continues to fine-tune its lineup based on pitch conditions. For instance, they are considering bringing Arshdeep Singh back into the XI in place of Kuldeep Yadav to better suit the quicker surface in Ahmedabad.

• Super 8 Opponents: India has already been placed in Super 8 Group G1, where they will face South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. These matches are scheduled to be held in India, providing the team with home-ground advantage as they look to maintain their record-breaking 16-match winning streak in ICC limited-overs tournaments.

India's are on a 16-match winning streak, the most consecutive victories in ICC limited overs tournaments. India surpassed the previous record of 15 consecutive matches held by Australia, which was established across the 2006 ODI Champions Trophy and the 2007 ODI World Cup.

India vs Netherlands - Best Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakarvarthy.

Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards, Zach Lion-Cachet, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Fred Klaasen.

How many runs do you reckon will Abhishek Sharma score in today's India vs Netherlands fixture? Does 300 look on the cards? If you're an Indian fan and do not have a jersey what are you even doing? Get your Indian jerseys now. Click here to buy.