New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav-led India will look to end their group-stage campaign unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2026 when they lock horns with Netherlands in their final group A match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 17. India have already qualified for the Super Eight stage of the tournament after beating Pakistan in their last game.
India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by 61 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday to bag their third win in a row in the tournament and qualify for the Super Eight stage. Ishan Kishan starred with a 77-run knock to help India register their biggest-ever win against Pakistan in T20Is.
Netherlands, on the other hand, are all but out of the tournament. With two defeats and a solitary win in their first three games, Netherlands are currently third in Group A and are only mathematically alive in the race for the Super Eight. However, it will take nothing but a miraculous effort to stage an upset against India, who have been enjoying a dominant run in the tournament.
Having secured qualification to the next round, there were reports that India might test their bench strength in their final group match against the Dutch. However, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will not be given a break as there are no issues as far as his workload is concerned.
There still can be a change in India’s bowling line-up on Wednesday. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh can return in place of spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep replaced Arshdeep in India’s XI against Pakistan owing to the spin-friendly conditions in Colombo. But with the team heading to Ahmedabad, Arshdeep is likely to return to the XI.
Will Sanju Samson get a chance?
Abhishek Sharma has struggled with his form in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far, with two ducks in two games. The left-hander replaced Sanju Samson in the XI after skipping the Namibia game due to a stomach infection. However, he failed to open his account again and was dismissed on a duck by part-time spinner Salman Ali Agha in the first over.
His poor form has been a concern for India. It remains to be seen if the team management will give game time to Samson against Netherlands on Wednesday to ensure he is ready if Abhishek’s struggles continue further in the tournament. Samson scored an 8-ball 22 after opening the innings with Ishan Kishan against Namibia in New Delhi last week.
India’s predicted playing XI against Netherlands:
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy