41-year-old Dutchman Roelof van der Merwe took a spectacular catch to dismiss Tilak Varma, who was in good touch against the Netherlands for their last group match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Varma tried to clear the long off for a maximum with a big swing, but the timing was not correct. The experienced Netherlands spinner rushed to grab the ball near the boundary rope. Roelof van der Merwe threw his body in the front and took a catch, making no mistake.
India vs Netharlands: A dead rubber
Team India and the Netherlands—both teams have nothing to gain from today’s (February 18) match. India, the co-hosts, and the defending champion have already confirmed their spot in the next round of the tournament, while the Netherlands cricket team is all set to pack their luggage to return to their home.
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Before heading towards the airport, the Dutch national cricket team tried to take one last bite, and that too was against the mighty Team India, who are considered among the hot favorites to claim the title again.
Netharlands started strong
The Netherlands started the match in a top manner, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck. It was the third duck for Sharma in the three matches he played in the tournament. His opening pair, Ishan Kishan, also headed back quickly for only 18 runs.
Those two early wickets did not help the Netherlands in a long way, as the middle-order batters played their parts significantly well. Tilak Varma, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube played some brilliant knocks to secure a total of 193 in 20 overs. Dube smashed a half-century in the process.
Roelof van der Merwe, 41, took a diving catch to dismiss Tilak Varma
Despite the brilliant batting display from the Indian batters, the catch taken by Roelof van der Merwe is among the most spectacular visuals of the first innings. On the last ball of the 9th over, Varma swung his blade sharply against a fuller and well outside off delivery of Logan van Beek. At first glance, the shot looks perfectly placed, and the ball was travelling at a good speed.
Varma might have targeted the over-the-cover region, but the ball eventually went towards the long-off region. Roelof van der Merwe moved to his right and threw himself to grab the ball. Despite a hard landing, the ball stayed intact with the safe hands of the fielder. Varam had to go for a well-made 31 off 27.
Undoubtedly, the Greatest ever catch by 41-year-old Roelof van der Merwe in T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/3YqgqGROY4
— World Monitor (@MonitorWarnow) February 18, 2026
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