Ahmedabad, February 19: The Netherlands team concluded their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 17-run defeat against India on Wednesday. Dutch captain Scott Edwards praised the Indian batsmen, highlighting the host team’s impressive firepower even in the lower order.

In the match held at 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 excellently over the past few years and 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 for four wickets after 15 overs. However, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya’s explosive batting propelled India to a formidable total of 193. Edwards acknowledged the immense potential of Indian batsmen, saying, “We know they have tremendous firepower down to the lower order. Keeping them under control until the 14th or 15th over was indeed impressive. Perhaps we missed some opportunities, and a few execution errors allowed such players to capitalize. We knew we had to take wickets consistently.”

The Netherlands played four matches in the T20 World Cup 2026, finishing fourth in Group A with one victory. Edwards reflected on the learning experience of playing in India, stating, “Coming to India, you always learn a lot 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 faltered at crucial moments. We take pride in playing well during significant moments. We played some good cricket, but there were instances where we missed out. When you play just four matches, capitalizing on those moments is essential.”

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