Former cricketer Zaheer Khan opined that India's game against the Netherlands on Wednesday, February 18, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, could have been taken as an opportunity by Suryakumar Yadav to experiment with the batting order.

Tilak Varma has batted at No. 3 for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup, while Suryakumar has taken the slot at four. However, Zaheer believes that they could have interchanged positions in the inconsequential clash against the Dutch side, something that could have helped them prepare for a left-right approach in the Super 8 matches. Off-spinner Aryan Dutt dismissed India's left-handed opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.

"India approached this game in an experimental manner. Maybe one trick which Surya missed and he should have taken advantage of was going into bat at No.3. The off-spinner was bowling and the first wicket had fallen. The flexibility they've been talking about between him and Tilak for the left-right combination, today was the opportunity. It's something for him to think about," Zaheer said via Cricbuzz.

"He's been scoring runs, so it could have been a message sent that if need be, I can bat at No.3. But other than that, he has been very consistent with his changes," the legendary fast bowler added.

Zaheer feels that Suryakumar would be challenged as a captain when any one of his trump cards, Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah, has a bad day at the office.

"He has two trump cards - Varun and Bumrah, which he has been using very well. The real challenge for him is going to be if one of them has an off-day. That's when you feel the pressure, and you have to be ready to adjust if that happens," Zaheer concluded.

India registered a 17-run victory against the Netherlands to stretch their winning streak to four in the tournament. They will face South Africa in their first clash in the Super Eights and this encounter will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.