Ahmedabad

India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was awarded the Impact Player medal in the Indian dressing room for his decisive bowling performance during the India vs Netherlands group-stage match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Chakaravarthy returned figures of 3/14 in three overs, playing a key role in India’s 17-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. His spell helped India restrict the Netherlands to 176/7 in 20 overs while chasing a target of 194.

The right-arm spinner removed Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann and Aryan Dutt, dismissing the latter for a golden duck, to stall the Dutch chase at crucial stages. Team India’s strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux presented Chakaravarthy with the Impact Player medal in the dressing room.

After receiving the award, Chakaravarthy remained focused on the road ahead, saying, “The real tournament starts with the next match. We have to get ready for that.”

With the win, India national cricket team completed a perfect group stage, registering four wins from four matches and heading into the Super Eight stage with strong momentum. The Netherlands national cricket team, meanwhile, exited the tournament with one win and three losses, two of them narrow defeats against India and Pakistan.

Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat. After early setbacks with Abhishek Sharma falling for a duck and Ishan Kishan scoring 18, the innings was stabilised by Tilak Varma (31) and Suryakumar Yadav (34). A late surge from Shivam Dube, who smashed 66 with four fours and six sixes, and Hardik Pandya (30 off 21 balls) powered India to 193/5.

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In reply, the Netherlands slipped to 51/2 before Bas de Leede (33) and Ackermann (23) added 43 runs. A spirited late stand between Zach Lion-Cachet (26) and Noah Croes (25*) gave the chase respectability, but Chakaravarthy’s incisive spell ensured India stayed in control and sealed the win.