"We've punched above our weight" is Scott Edwards' assessment of the historical legacy of the Netherlands cricket team at World Cups. Among all the associate nations, over the last few decades, they have been among the most consistent in the world to stake a claim in the world event. A surprise win here, an occasional upset there - they have been part of cricket's grand parties all along, but often away from the dance floor, tucked in the dim corner.

They offered hope again that they would do a little jig and be the centre of attention fleetingly, when they kickstarted the 2026 T20 World Cup by nearly threatening to beat Pakistan in the tournament opener. With two overs left in the game, they had their noses in front, but couldn't wrap up an impressive performance with a killer blow.

If they could've won that game, it would've made a difference. Yes, it would've made the dynamics of Group A more interesting, and more importantly, given them the opportunity to make their last group game - against India - more consequential than it will eventually turn out to be. But most importantly, it was their turn to showcase in front of nearly 60,000 people who had tuned into a live stream from their home country for their big success story; of what makes Dutch cricket so special.

These moments are hard to come by, especially at a time when sports channels are broadcasting the Winter Olympics all day long. The only short snippets for cricket are reserved for the brief bulletins of their daily news.

In 2026, it seems that odd upset, that rare jig in the spotlight, too may not come their way as they prepare to face the hosts and the tournament favourites, India, in their last group game - and in all likelihood, their last game of the tournament. But it is yet another opportunity to showcase that even if their exploits go missing at home, they are being watched. "Soccer is the main sport and we probably will never get to that level, but for us it's just promoting the game and hopefully our performances can help grow that game in the Netherlands," Scott Edwards, the Netherlands skipper said, on Tuesday.

They are aware that even in defeat, there would be enough eyeballs on them, and there would be enough reason for them to play the best version of their cricket - unlike the way they turned up against USA. The news that has reached them, as per their team manager, is that 40 million people across the world streamed the game against Pakistan. For a country like the Netherlands, with a population of 16 million and only 6000 registered cricketers, it's a mind-boggling number. For reference, when their national football team plays, their most popular sport, around 1.6 million people from the country tune in to the games.

Beyond the big India game, the World Cup offers them the opportunity to not only drag more eyeballs to their sport, but also the rare chance to consistently play against higher-ranked teams, the lack of which over the years hasn't allowed Netherlands to step up - in cricketing and financial terms.

"There're always some difficulties around associate cricket, I think we've probably punched above our weight," Edwards said. "For a while, I think we've played a lot of good cricket through World Cups. To get to the next level, a lot of it comes down to more opportunities against Test-playing nations. However, there's obviously restrictions with funding for us and those sorts of things, but that's not really under our control. For us, it's just playing our best cricket when we can on the world stage and hopefully that gives us opportunities."

Edwards hailed the performance of the associate teams in this World Cup, who have had to make this sudden step-up in the tournament. "It is a reality for us though and coming into these competitions, for us it's just preparing as well as we can. The better you play, the more games you win, the more of a voice you potentially have and maybe that comes with opportunities. This World Cup has been brilliant with the way a lot of associate sides have played and hopefully that does promote more opportunities for Test playing nations to play against associates outside of World Cups."

Ahead of what could possibly be their last day in the tournament in India, they are preparing to put on their best show in what could potentially be their most watched contest from the tournament. Nearly 100,000 had watched the contest between the two teams in the Netherlands when they last faced India, during the 2023 World Cup.

"It's obviously a massive opportunity. To be playing against India in India at the biggest stadium is something all the guys are really looking forward to. It's a great opportunity to test yourselves against the best."

For now, there is no fandom around the sport in the country. Barring a few small pockets in Rotterdam and The Hague which have heavy Indian expatriate populations, and a handful who recognise the Bas de Leedes and Aryan Dutts in the local circuit. There isn't much recognition for the sport in the country which is competing at the highest stage of cricket, but with limited air time on broadcast channels.

They are hoping that their exploits in Ahmedabad on Wednesday will be watched beyond the mammoth stadium, in corporate offices back home, to recognise the magnanimity of cricket, and how impressive the team in Orange are.