3 major changes India should make against Netherlands in Women's T20 World Cup 2026
(Courtesy : BCCI)
India Women will face Netherlands Women at Headingley on June 17.
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is in full swing in England. The tournament started on June 12, and India played their first match on June 14 against Pakistan.
The Women in Blue were in action at Edgbaston on Sunday, where they registered a comfortable win. Batting first, India set a target of 170 runs for the opposition, thanks to brilliant innings from Smriti Mandhana (68 off 44 balls) and Richa Ghosh (34 off 17 balls).
Pakistan got off to a good start but failed to chase down the target, and eventually fell short by 64 runs. Deepti Sharma shone with a 5-wicket haul, while Sree Charani picked 3 wickets.
While India had a completely dominant win against Pakistan, there were certain aspects of the game where they will need to make changes, such as their batting in the powerplay, picking early wickets, and fielding.
India’s next match is against the Netherlands on June 17 at Headingley, Leeds. They will aim to maintain their momentum and secure a big victory to strengthen their position in the points table.
On that note, let’s look at the three major changes India should make against the Netherlands.
3. An extra pacer for Headingley
In their first match at Edgbaston, India fielded three spinners and two medium-pacers to suit the conditions, and they reaped the benefits. However, India’s next match is in Leeds, where the pitch generally offers more assistance to fast bowlers than to spinners.
India can look to go with Renuka Singh ahead of Shreyanka Patil as an extra pacer in the side. Shreyanka was economical in the last match but did not take any wickets.
2. Yastika Bhatia at No. 3
India played Jemimah Rodrigues at No. 3 against Pakistan, but she could score only 1 run. They should bring Yastika to play in that position and give Jemimah the No. 4 spot. When India gave Yastika a stable position at 3 during the England T20I series, she scored 30+ in all three matches, including one half-century.
Furthermore, Bharti Fulmali’s performance against Pakistan was disappointing; she managed to score only one run. Hence, India might drop her for this match.
1. Nandni Sharma in place of Kranti Gaud
India failed to take early wickets in the powerplay against Pakistan. Kranti Gaud went for 14 runs in her single over, while Arundhati Reddy too was expensive, and both were wicketless.
Nandni Sharma, who took four wickets in three matches against England, should be included in the team in place of Kranti Gaud. Nandni also took 17 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 8.3 in the Women’s Premier League 2026.
India are grouped with Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Netherlands in Group A. Net Run Rate can come into play later in the tournament, and India should look to win by a big margin against the Netherlands on June 17.
When is India’s next game in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026?
India will play the Netherlands on June 17 in their next fixture of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Who is the captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team?
Harmanpreet Kaur leads the Indian Women’s cricket team.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.