Ahmedabad, Feb 18
After powering India to a 17-run win over the Netherlands in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Player of the Match Shivam Dube said he relished batting under pressure on a challenging surface and was pleased to deliver his career-best knock while fulfilling the team's mandate of maintaining a high strike rate in the middle overs.
Varun Chakravarthy 3-14 and an all-round performance from Shivam Dube (66 & 2-35) helped India continue their winning run and extend it to 12 matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Dube's 66 against the Netherlands now stands as his highest T20I score, surpassing his 65 against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam earlier in 2026 and the unbeaten 63 against Afghanistan in Indore in 2024.
"It was a little tough; this is the situation I love to bat. I was enjoying it, although I was under pressure. It was skidding and keeping low. One of the balls spun as well. For me, I knew I could hit, but the situation demanded something different. I try to hit boundaries and enjoy hitting sixes. I know all the bowlers are going to bluff me and are going to bowl slower balls, so I prepared myself.
"As the captain and coach have told me, I have to keep the strike rate high. But it also depends on the situation. Today, I could not keep the strike rate high (immediately). There was something, and I thought it was time I could go now. Working hard towards bowling. Results are coming. You are going to get hit sometimes, but you will also pick wickets," he said.
Batting first on a red-soil surface, India was shaken early when Abhishek Sharma recorded his third consecutive duck of the tournament. Aryan Dutt dealt another blow during the Power-play by getting rid of both Abhishek and Ishan Kishan, who scored 18 and had shared a 39-run stand with Tilak Varma, who made 31. However, India accelerated in the middle overs, scoring 15 runs in the 16th over and 20 in the next, as the Netherlands' spin gamble failed.
Shivam Dube changed the game with an impressive 66 off 31 balls, hitting two fours and five sixes, including a quick fifty off 25 balls. Rinku Singh provided a late boost with a six off his second ball as India finished with a total of 193 for 6.
In response, the Netherlands started well with Michael Levitt and Max O'Dowd putting together 35 runs before Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed O'Dowd. Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede bounced back with a rapid 43-run stand, targeting the Indian bowlers. But India struck at key moments to slow down the scoring and ultimately defended their total comfortably, achieving an important win.
- IANS
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