India look to iron out flaws as Netherlands dare to dream

In the long list of objectives that Netherlands are carrying excitedly to the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is one point more clear than everything else: Get into the top eight to secure a place for the next World Cup. The financial rewards that pour in allow for a more clear planning over the next two years.

To do that, they have to clinch two wins in five games. The one they fancied themselves most against - Bangladesh - is now a missed opportunity, and they are eyeing a couple of upsets. In the first game, they were excited at the prospect of having qualified for the World Cup, overwhelmed by the number of people who had turned up, starry-eyed by all the attention, and the loud cheer they heard when the Indian players walked into the ground when they were still playing.

Those nerves, at least the head coach claims, have now settled. "Nothing prepares you for your first T20 World Cup experience apart from going through that process. Having had a huge build up in the media and huge expectations, the stadium and the atmosphere, it was too much for the players to take. Having experienced that, players are much better placed for the next match," Neil Macrae admits.

But now, they are set to come up against the big team; the players they have watched on television, or 'probably even idolised' - the Indian team that is set out to justify its growth in world cricket. While Netherlands are aware of the gulf that separates the two teams, they are also aware of India's insecurities: it's a tough group, and if India have to qualify for the semifinals, they can't afford to slip-up.

To catch them on this possible opportunity, Netherlands have already charted out their plans: not necessarily as much to expose India's weakness as to use their strengths in conditions that are reasonably familiar to their players. Sterre Kalis, the 26-year-old batter who plays for Yorkshire and featured for Northern Superchargers and Northern Diamonds, has volunteered to share the excess inputs. Two years ago, the team also spent ample time training at the venue during a tour of Yorkshire.

Despite the massive win against Pakistan, it was far from flawless. India have started their campaign on a rusty note. Let alone taking the encounter against the T20 World Cup debutants, they would be hunting for their perfect game, one that's long been missing.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 2:30 PM Local/7:00 PM IST

India vs Netherlands, Match 10, Headingley, Leeds

In The Hundred, over the years, Headingley has been one of the slower scoring venues in the women's competition. The long square boundaries would mean that bowlers would look to shorten their lengths, but the fast outfield could also offer a fair few boundaries for batters waiting on the back foot to pick their gaps.

Harmanpreet Kaur had a long net stint, which involved a fair bit of smashing the balls hard back at the bowlers after a range-hitting session. Nandni Sharma bowled with quite a bit of pace, and unsettled the batters a bit with her sharp bouncers. Given the dimensions of the ground, it remains to be seen if India might be tempted to go in with an extra pacer.

Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Bharati Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud

At the last moment, the team's training session moved to York's ground, more than an hour away from their hotel. So the team didn't get to practise at Headingley. However, the coach claims it was a 'great session' at the training which has relaxed the players, putting them at ease after the early excitement of the tournament.

Heather Siegers, Phebe Molkenboer, Babette de Leede (c & wk), Sterre Kalis, Robine Rijke, Sanya Khurana, Frederique Overdijk, Iris Zwilling, Caroline de Lange, Silver Siegers, Isabel Woning

Headingley has hosted only one women's T20 international till date, which witnessed only two sixes. Moreover, only one women's ODI has ever been played at the venue - as long back as in 2018.

"At that time, (when I wasn't getting runs), I just stayed focused on my game. During practice, I was looking to work more on my drills and just stayed focused. I knew it was okay that I was not getting runs, but I was in good touch. I spoke to Harry di (Harmanpreet Kaur) and all the seniors - Smirti (Mandhana) and (Amol Muzumdar) sir too, asking 'what should I do?' They just said, 'don't worry, just play your game and just stay focussed'. That helped me." - , India wicketkeeper-batter, on her work during her recent lean patch.

"Tomorrow is a game where we are very aware of the size of Indian cricket, as the main nation of world cricket - men and women. We are also aware the women's players are right on top of women's cricket right now. For our players to be playing against those they've watched on TV, possibly idolised and aspired to get to that level, to be on the same field is such an exciting prospect. We are just waiting to go on the ground and put on a show." - , Netherlands head coach.