Shivam Dube Blazes 25-Ball Fifty as Hardik Pandya Joins India’s Late Charge Against Netherlands in T20 World Cup Clash
Ahmedabad: Shivam Dube lit up the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with a blistering 25-ball half-century, before Hardik Pandya joined the assault in the final overs as India pushed for a commanding total against the Netherlands in their final T20 World Cup group-stage encounter.
The foundation for the flourish, however, came after a middle-overs wobble. Tilak Varma, who had shown promise but struggled to fully shift gears, was dismissed at a critical juncture when India were searching for momentum. His exit placed the burden firmly on Suryakumar Yadav and Dube to steady the ship — a challenge the pair rose to through measured strike rotation and smart partnership-building.
The innings had been complicated further by two early setbacks. Ishan Kishan’s departure forced a recalibration in approach, while Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal without scoring marked his third consecutive duck in the tournament a string of failures that has continued to frustrate despite India’s overall progress in the campaign. The left-handed opener remains without a run to his name in this edition of the World Cup.
India made one change to their XI for the fixture, bringing in Arshdeep Singh in place of Kuldeep Yadav. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, after winning the toss, elected to bat first, backing his side to post a challenging target.
The match carries significance beyond the result. With the Super 8 stage approaching where India are set to face South Africa, Zimbabwe, and West Indies this fixture offered key batters an opportunity to find their rhythm. Abhishek’s lean run and Tilak’s occasional loss of fluency have been noted, though India’s overall confidence remains high following a commanding victory over Pakistan.
The 25-year-old Abhishek’s batting philosophy is built on fearlessness and early aggression a style that can shift matches in minutes but also invites inconsistency. Both the management and the youngster will be eager to see him fire before the tournament enters its more demanding phase.
India also have questions to address against spin, having shown visible discomfort during their encounters with Namibia and Pakistan. Sharper intent and better strike rotation in the middle overs could prove critical as the competition intensifies.
The Netherlands arrive at this fixture needing a significant step up. An impressive win over Namibia was followed by a heavy loss to the USA, exposing vulnerabilities with both bat and ball that cannot be repeated against a side of India’s calibre. Pulling off an upset against the defending champions in this form of theirs, as the Dutch camp is well aware, would require something truly extraordinary.
Ahmedabad has offered contrasting batting conditions in this tournament. South Africa posted 213/4 against Canada the highest total in India so far in the competition but the venue’s last two matches saw teams batting first fall short of the 200-run mark.