ICC Women's T20 World Cup: India to bat first against Netherlands at Headingley
Leeds, June 17
India women's team have been asked to bat first by the Netherlands in match 10 of the ICC Women's T20I World Cup 2026 at Headingley here on Wednesday.
India are playing their second Group A fixture after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by 64 runs in Sunday's clash.
India made two changes in the playing XI after the fast bowler Nandani Sharma replaced the spinner Arundhati Reddy, and Yastika Bhatia came in place of Bharti Fulmali.
The Netherlands also made one change in their playing XI after bringing in Myrthe van den Raad in place of Sanya Khurana.
Speaking after the toss, Netherlands captain Babette de Leede said, "We will bowl first. I think we will get something out of the wicket and hopefully chase the target later on. Super excited for this opportunity. Playing against India is a dream coming true, a little bit nervous as well. We made one change. We are playing an extra pacer and dropped a batter."
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said, "Great opportunity to bat first and we want to challenge ourselves. The powerplay with bat and ball is something we are looking forward to. Sticking to your own plans and batting as deep as possible is the key on this wicket. We have one change. Arundhati is resting today and Nandni Sharma is back."
India Women (Playing XI): Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, Nandani Sharma
Netherlands Women (Playing XI): Heather Siegers, Phebe Molkenboer, Babette de Leede(w/c), Sterre Kalis, Robine Rijke, Frederique Overdijk, Iris Zwilling, Myrthe van den Raad, Caroline de Lange, Silver Siegers, Isabel Woning.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see Nandani Sharma getting a chance – she's been impressive in domestic cricket. But I hope we don't lose focus against Netherlands. We should aim to win big to boost net run rate. Every match matters in a World Cup!
Nice to see India playing a more balanced XI with both pace and spin options. The batting depth looks solid today – even at No. 8 we have Shreyanka who can hit. Netherlands will need early wickets to stay in the game. Exciting match ahead!
Love the positivity from Babette de Leede – she sounds genuinely excited to play against India. This is what makes women's cricket beautiful! That said, I hope our team respects the opposition but doesn't take them lightly. A professional performance please! 🙏
Small concern – why rest Arundhati after just one match? She bowled well against Pakistan. Hope the team management is not overthinking the combination. Also, Yastika needs to grab this opportunity with both hands. Go Girls! 💪
Netherlands made a brave call to bowl first – they're clearly backing their pacers. But on this Headingley pitch, batting first is usually an advantage. India's openers need to see off the new ball and then accelerate. Excited to see Jemimah continue her good form!
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