Back from the slower surface of Colombo, India recall Arshdeep Singh while resting Axar Patel; Netherlands bolster batting with Noah Croes

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India finally won their first toss in four games at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup and chose to bat first, signalling their intent to maximise batting conditions and fine-tune preparations ahead of the Super Eights. Having already secured qualification, India used the opportunity to test combinations and prepare for a potential dew factor scenario in their upcoming clash against South Africa national cricket team on Sunday.

Unlike their previous opponents, the Netherlands national cricket team revealed they would have preferred to bat first had they won the toss. That made this toss particularly crucial, even though India had managed to get conditions in their favour in earlier matches despite losing the coin flip. With a more batting-friendly surface on offer compared to the slower track in Colombo, India looked keen to flex their top-order strength and build momentum heading into the knockout stages.

In terms of team changes, India brought back left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh in place of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The management also rested allrounder Axar Patel to provide valuable game time to offspin allrounder Washington Sundar. The move adds variety to India’s bowling attack while strengthening their lower-order batting depth. With players like Suryakumar Yadav leading the side and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the attack, India appeared well-balanced ahead of the Super Eights challenge.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, made a single change by replacing fast bowler Fred Klaasen with batter Noah Croes to strengthen their lineup. Led by captain and wicketkeeper Scott Edwards, the Dutch side entered the match with one win from three games and no chance of progressing further in the tournament. Despite that, they aimed to end their campaign on a high against a confident Indian unit.

Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (capt & wk), Zach Lion-Cachet, Noah Croes, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Kyle Klein.