Ahmedabad, February 19: The Netherlands team concluded its T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 17-run defeat against India on Wednesday. Captain Scott Edwards praised the Indian batsmen, highlighting the impressive firepower of the host team, even down to their lower order.
Playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India scored 193 runs for the loss of six wickets, successfully restricting the Netherlands to 176/7.
Aryan Dutt was a standout performer for the Netherlands, taking two wickets for just 19 runs in four overs. Edwards commended Dutt’s performance, stating, “We started very well. Aryan deserves full credit; he has been performing brilliantly over the past few years. He posed a tough challenge to the Indian batsmen. Throughout the match, we felt we were in contention.”
At one point, India struggled at 118 runs with four wickets down after 15 overs. However, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya launched a powerful batting display, propelling India to a formidable score of 193. Edwards acknowledged the immense potential of the Indian batsmen.
He remarked, “We know they have tremendous firepower down the order. Keeping them under control until the 14th or 15th over was quite impressive. Perhaps we missed some opportunities, and at times our execution faltered, which can be costly against such players. We knew we had to take wickets consistently. By the 16th over, they had lost four wickets, meaning they still had wickets in hand, and in the end, they scored quickly in a few overs.”
The Netherlands played four matches in the T20 World Cup 2026, finishing fourth in Group A with one win. Edwards reflected on the learning experience of playing in India, saying, “You always learn a lot when you come to India because the conditions are different, the grounds are smaller, the wickets are quite flat, and the atmosphere is unique. As a team, we performed well in phases but missed crucial moments. We take pride in performing well in big moments. We played some good cricket, but there were instances where we fell short. When you play only four matches, capitalizing on those moments is essential.”
