T20 World Cup 2026: IND vs NED pitch report and Ahmedabad stadium stats

No matter how strong a team is, how favorable the schedule, or how confident they feel, a World Cup always presents unique pressures, heightened even more when playing at home. As the hosts India take on Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today, the defending champions would be looking to go all the way undefeated into the Super 8 stage. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has won the toss and elected to bat first on the night.

India have been dominant in all three of their matches so far, yet they have not fully unleashed the explosive style of play they are capable of.

Their most recent clash, against Pakistan, was one with little bearing on progression or Super 8 matchups, yet the stakes were enormous. A loss to underdogs in such a high-profile matchup would have had ramifications far beyond the tournament itself. Their victory, however, reinforced India’s standing as the clear favourites.

Looking ahead, India will aim to push the scoring envelope. Despite batting first in all three games, they have yet to surpass 209 runs. Ahmedabad under lights offers an ideal platform for them, with four of the last five first innings at night exceeding 210.

Meanwhile, Netherlands will look to prove themselves more than just a measuring stick for India’s firepower. Having come close to beating Pakistan and registering a win against Namibia, they are keen to show they are competitive. Toss decisions will be intriguing, with India likely preferring to bat first, while Netherlands must decide whether to chase or set up a strategy to survive the high-scoring night conditions in Ahmedabad. 

India vs Netherlands T20 World Cup 2026 Narendra Modi stadium pitch report

Pitch report from Ahmedabad courtesy of Katley martin and Nasser Hussain: "Last game of Group A comes from Ahmedabad, and the weather is pretty good to be honest. It says 31 is the high. I think we've gone past that, and it'll be closer to 29 degrees, which is very comfortable, especially with that breeze and the low humidity. The all-important ground dimensions, if you have a look at it, it is 70 metres down the ground, and batting at this end as a right-hander, it's shorter leg side, 60 metres and a bit further, 68 metres," informs Nasser Hussain.  "It's a batter's paradise. And it gets better as the night comes on. The dew gets in here a little bit later on. But batters love it here. Second highest scoring ground in the competition so far. So maybe there are a few cracks, but they do absolutely nothing. Now I'll tell you what, as a bowler, well what is successful here? We've seen actually that fuller length, sometimes in the slot area, has been really effective.  But it's been more pace off delivery. So if you're a pace bowler, which two teams here, Netherlands and India, both have exceptional pace bowling units, get the ball into the surface, be able to cause a little bit of issues. And we know there's some world-class batters on show that oval light up for those boundary dimensions you've talked about," adds Katey Martin. "Yeah, it is a good pitch. It's black soil. It looks rock hard. Excellent surface. There'll be a real atmosphere here as well this evening. We're looking forward to it." concludes Hussain.

T20 World Cup 2026 IND vs NED: Head-to-head stats at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

This will be the first time India and Netherlands take on each other in a T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. 

Most recent T20I match at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

The most recent T20I match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad was Match 24 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 between New Zealand and South Africa. The Proteas won the encounter on the day by 7 wickets

Narendra Modi Stadium key T20I stats 

Narendra Modi Stadium key T20I stats
Statistic	Value
Total Matches	14
Matches won batting first	9
Matches won bowling first	5
Average 1st innings Score	172
Average 2nd innings Score	149
Highest total recorded	234/4 (20 Ovs) by IND vs NZ
Lowest total recorded	66/10 (12.1 Ovs) by NZ vs IND
Highest score chased	178/3 (17.1 Ovs) by RSA vs NZ
Lowest score defended	107/7 (20 Ovs) by WIW vs INDW