T20 World Cup: India beat Netherlands despite third duck for Sharma

India continued their unbeaten run in Group A of the Men’s T20 World Cup with a 17-run victory over the Netherlands in Ahmedabad.

Having already secured qualification for the Super 8s, India chose to bat first after winning the toss, but the innings began awkwardly.

The Netherlands’ new-ball bowlers kept things tight in the powerplay and quickly struck a significant blow when Abhishek Sharma fell again without scoring.

The world’s top-ranked T20 batter edged Aryan Dutt after facing just three deliveries, becoming the first player to record three ducks in his opening three innings of a T20 World Cup.

Suryakumar Yadav helped stabilise the innings with a fluent 34, while Tilak Varma added a composed 31 to rebuild the scoring rate.

Shivam Dube then transformed the match. Walking in with India still short of a commanding total, he attacked, using his reach to target the straight boundary and mid-wicket region.

Dube struck four fours and six sixes in a powerful 66 from 31 balls, punishing anything marginally short and consistently clearing the infield. Hardik Pandya supported him with a brisk 30 as India scored rapidly through the final overs.

Although Logan van Beek (3-56) and Dutt shared five wickets and occasionally slowed the run rate, India still closed on an 193-6, a total that looked above par given the early assistance for bowlers.

The Netherlands began their chase needing an aggressive powerplay but found little momentum. Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd struggled to score freely against accurate seam bowling before the introduction of spin shifted the contest firmly in India’s favour.

Varun Chakravarthy was the difference-maker with the ball. He removed key batters while conceding almost nothing. His figures of 3-14 from three overs halted any attempt to build partnerships and pushed the required rate beyond reach. Among his wickets was Dutt, dismissed without scoring, as the Netherlands slipped to 94-4 inside 13 overs.

Bas de Leede top-scored with 33 from 23 balls and attempted to rebuild, but regular wickets prevented any pressure on the bowlers.

The Netherlands finished on 176-7 from their 20 overs, leaving India winners by 17 runs. The result confirmed India’s perfect record in Group A with four wins from four matches, while the Netherlands exited the tournament after earlier results had already eliminated them.