Team India’s triumph continues in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The Indian team defeated Netherlands by 17 runs on Wednesday (February 18) in its last group stage match before the Super-8. The host team won the toss and decided to bat first and recovered from a slow start to post a big score of 193/6, in which Shivam Dubey and Hardik Pandya played important roles.
Shivam Dubey, who came at number five, scored 66 runs at a strike rate of 212.90. He faced 31 balls and hit 4 fours and 6 sixes. Whereas Hardik scored 30 runs in 21 balls with the help of 3 sixes. There was a partnership of 76 runs in 35 balls between the two for the fifth wicket, which took India to a score which proved impossible for the Netherlands to reach. While chasing the target, the Dutch team could only score 176 runs after losing 7 wickets.
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Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team has entered the Super-8 with pride by winning all four group stage matches but fielding remains a cause of concern for them. Team India dropped 5 catches against Netherlands. It did not cost that much but in Super-8, even a single mistake like this can lead to a win-win match.
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Worse than Namibia in dropping catches
The Indian team has dropped 9 catches so far in this T20 World Cup. Among the 20 teams participating in the tournament, only Ireland (10) have dropped more catches than India. Namibia (6) is at third place in this list.
It is a matter of concern that Team India has dropped more catches than associate teams like Namibia. This is because the associate teams have very little experience of playing under flood lights. Whereas Indian players have grown up playing day-night/night matches. Due to this, he is counted among the fittest cricketers in the world. In such a situation, poor performance in catching is unacceptable. Some catches may have been difficult, but if these opportunities are not capitalized on in the Super-8 or Knockout, then the dream of title defense may remain unfulfilled.
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