India won all their Group A matches to finish atop.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was immensely pleased for ticking all the boxes in the group-stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The defending champions won all their group matches, with the last one coming against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 18).
India's top order found it tough against Dutch off-spinner Aryan Dutt before Shivam Dube struck a 31-ball 66 to propel them to 193/6 in 20 overs. In reply, the Men in Blue restricted the Netherlands to 176/7 to seal a 17-run win, securing a top finish in Group A.
"We have ticked a lot of boxes. Even when you win, you learn a lot of things, and we did today," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
"We wanted to bat first, went on to score 190. There was a bit of dew, a little challenging for the bowlers but all in all, very happy," he added.
India were 69/3 in nine overs before Dube’s counter-attack helped them post an imposing total on the board.
Suryakumar acknowledged that such contributions were crucial, especially if the team finds itself in similar situations later in the tournament.
"We might be in a similar situation (losing early wickets), but it is important for the batters to understand what the responsibility is. We have firepower (later).
"Contributions coming from every batter. One or two might have a beautiful day, but we need contributions from each and everyone," he remarked.
Lauding Dube's knock, the captain said: "When he (Dube) played at Vizag (against NZ), he had another knock. He wanted to get the Player of the Match award that day too but (for India) to get to 190 (tonight), it was amazing."
India used as many as seven bowlers in the match, something that Surya described as a good headache.
“Sometimes it's a good headache to have. How many bowlers do I have in the middle? Abhishek Sharma coming in, then Hardik, Dube. So I have a lot of option [options] in the middle. Whatever it is, on a given day, whatever the wicket demands, I think they can chip in with a few overs,” he concluded.
India will face South Africa in their opening Super 8 fixture on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.