<p>Ahmedabad: Soaring high following a comfortable win over arch-rivals Pakistan, a dominant India take on the Netherlands in the proverbial ‘David vs Goliath’ clash on Wednesday night at a gigantic venue where they’ll be hoping their primary aggressor, Abhishek Sharma, regains his destructive touch ahead of bigger battles starting this weekend.</p>.<p>Ever since making his international debut in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in Harare right after India won the ICC T20 World Cup for the second time in 2024, the 25-year-old Abhishek has been one of the main forces in Men In Blue’s smashing run in the format over the last 20 months.</p>.<p>Fearless to the core, the opener was the spark plug for the high-octane cricket India have been dishing out consistently that has flattened one opponent after another. In 40 T20I games so far, the youngster has smashed 1297 runs with two centuries and eight fifties at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 193.29. When he gets going, quite literally no bowler can stop him nor any ground is big enough to limit the damage. </p>.ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backs Abhishek Sharma to come good.<p>But the high-risk high-reward style, something the team management has given full licence to each batter, has its own dangers. While the ball can fly into the stands on his day, it can even find the fielders when it’s not. And Abhishek, who was beset with a stomach illness and even hospitalised after India’s opening Group A game in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, has found it the hard way. He’s got four ducks in his last seven innings, including two on the trot in this showpiece tournament.</p>.<p>Although his early dismissals have been offset by Ishan Kishan and other batters, Abhishek would be eager to find his mojo in the biggest event of his fledgling career. He arrived buzzing with confidence and the game against the minnows the Netherlands offers him a chance to get into his stride. It’ll probably help his cause if he takes his time at the start, gets his eye in, and then explodes. His eagerness to start going on a rampage right from the first ball has brought about his early demise.</p>.<p>Defending champions India may also be looking to test a few things in the last Group A game here before they take on South Africa in the first Super Eights game on Sunday at the very same Narendra Modi Stadium. Spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has just recovered from an injury, could get a game so that he finds his bearings after not having played a competitive game since the opening ODI versus New Zealand on January 11. Since vice-captain Axar Patel can’t be benched, then the only option would be to play Sundar in place of Varun Chakravarthy.</p>.<p>For the Netherlands, who could have upset Pakistan in their opening game if they had held their nerve, the match against India is nothing but a learning experience. Hardly in their lives have they played in a venue as big as this stadium, and if it’s sold out, the 1.2 lakh capacity ground would be quite intimidating for them. Also, the only time they get to meet the big Test-playing nations is in the World Cups, and more often than not the primary thought in their minds is to put up a semblance of a fight rather than dream about a win.</p>.<p>India have played the Netherlands just once in T20Is, at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Sydney where they romped to a comfortable 56-run win. It should be another walk in the park for them unless the Netherlands do the unthinkable like the famous biblical tale.</p>.<p><strong>SQUADS:</strong> </p><p><strong>INDIA:</strong> Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy.</p>.<p><strong>NETHERLANDS:</strong> Scott Edwards (capt), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar.</p>
<p>Ahmedabad: Soaring high following a comfortable win over arch-rivals Pakistan, a dominant India take on the Netherlands in the proverbial ‘David vs Goliath’ clash on Wednesday night at a gigantic venue where they’ll be hoping their primary aggressor, Abhishek Sharma, regains his destructive touch ahead of bigger battles starting this weekend.</p>.<p>Ever since making his international debut in the T20I series against Zimbabwe in Harare right after India won the ICC T20 World Cup for the second time in 2024, the 25-year-old Abhishek has been one of the main forces in Men In Blue’s smashing run in the format over the last 20 months.</p>.<p>Fearless to the core, the opener was the spark plug for the high-octane cricket India have been dishing out consistently that has flattened one opponent after another. In 40 T20I games so far, the youngster has smashed 1297 runs with two centuries and eight fifties at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 193.29. When he gets going, quite literally no bowler can stop him nor any ground is big enough to limit the damage. </p>.ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backs Abhishek Sharma to come good.<p>But the high-risk high-reward style, something the team management has given full licence to each batter, has its own dangers. While the ball can fly into the stands on his day, it can even find the fielders when it’s not. And Abhishek, who was beset with a stomach illness and even hospitalised after India’s opening Group A game in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, has found it the hard way. He’s got four ducks in his last seven innings, including two on the trot in this showpiece tournament.</p>.<p>Although his early dismissals have been offset by Ishan Kishan and other batters, Abhishek would be eager to find his mojo in the biggest event of his fledgling career. He arrived buzzing with confidence and the game against the minnows the Netherlands offers him a chance to get into his stride. It’ll probably help his cause if he takes his time at the start, gets his eye in, and then explodes. His eagerness to start going on a rampage right from the first ball has brought about his early demise.</p>.<p>Defending champions India may also be looking to test a few things in the last Group A game here before they take on South Africa in the first Super Eights game on Sunday at the very same Narendra Modi Stadium. Spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has just recovered from an injury, could get a game so that he finds his bearings after not having played a competitive game since the opening ODI versus New Zealand on January 11. Since vice-captain Axar Patel can’t be benched, then the only option would be to play Sundar in place of Varun Chakravarthy.</p>.<p>For the Netherlands, who could have upset Pakistan in their opening game if they had held their nerve, the match against India is nothing but a learning experience. Hardly in their lives have they played in a venue as big as this stadium, and if it’s sold out, the 1.2 lakh capacity ground would be quite intimidating for them. Also, the only time they get to meet the big Test-playing nations is in the World Cups, and more often than not the primary thought in their minds is to put up a semblance of a fight rather than dream about a win.</p>.<p>India have played the Netherlands just once in T20Is, at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Sydney where they romped to a comfortable 56-run win. It should be another walk in the park for them unless the Netherlands do the unthinkable like the famous biblical tale.</p>.<p><strong>SQUADS:</strong> </p><p><strong>INDIA:</strong> Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy.</p>.<p><strong>NETHERLANDS:</strong> Scott Edwards (capt), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O'Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar.</p>