Netherlands opt to bowl first against India in 2026 Women's T20 World Cup opener

India and Netherlands face off in their first-ever T20I World Cup match with key debutants on both sides.

Toss and bowling decision Dutch skipper Babette de Leede called heads and elected to bowl first in her team’s inaugural T20I World Cup clash against India. The Netherlands added an extra bowling option by including Myrthe van den Raad instead of batter Sanya Khurana, as overcast conditions prevailed at Headingley. The decision came with temperatures at Headingley expected to stay below 20 degrees Celsius, a scenario generally favoring bowlers. India, meanwhile, announced their starting XI after naming two debutantes for the encounter. ## Indian team changes and captain's remarks India introduced two fresh faces, Nandani Sharma and Yastika Bhatia, replacing Arundhati Reddy and Bharti Fulmali respectively. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur stated that the side was eager to bat first and intended to "challenge ourselves" in the game. She emphasized that the team wanted to push their limits in the contest at Headingley. Conditions were described as bowler-friendly due to the cool weather forecast. ## Pre-match context for both sides India entered this fixture on the back of a dominant 64-run victory over Pakistan in their opening World Cup match. The Netherlands, making their debut in a women’s World Cup on Sunday, nearly pulled off a dramatic chase against Bangladesh in Birmingham but fell short by six wickets in the final over. The Dutch side looked to build on their competitive start while India aimed to maintain their winning momentum. Both teams prepared for a tightly contested opener under challenging conditions. ## Starting lineups for the match India’s XI featured Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud, and Nandani Sharma. The Netherlands countered with Heather Siegers, Phebe Molkenboer, Babette de Leede (c, wk), Sterre Kalis, Robine Rijke, Frederique Overdijk, Iris Zwilling, Myrthe van den Raad, Caroline de Lange, Silver Siegers, and Isabel van der Voning.