NEW DELHI: For Aryan Dutt, February 10 and February 18 loom large, two dates he has circled with intent. The Netherlands all-rounder is set for an emotional return to New Delhi on February 10, where he hopes to feature in front of family and familiar faces.

Just over a week later, a far bigger stage could await - a possible appearance against India in the T20 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket venue in the world, marking a defining chapter in his journey.

"I am very happy to be back in India. I didn't get the time to come back after the 2023 World Cup. But I'm delighted to be back here and for it to be another World Cup makes it even more special," Dutt told PTI.

The Netherlands are scheduled to take on fellow Associate side Namibia at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi, a fixture that holds personal significance for Dutt, who is hopeful that several members of his family will be in the stands to watch him play.

From Chandigarh nets to World Cup lights

Earlier in his career, Dutt also spent a couple of formative years in Chandigarh, where he worked on honing his cricketing skills and laying the foundations for his journey at the international level.

"My family will be watching the game and if time allows me I will go see them too. So, I am eagerly waiting for an outing in Delhi," he said.

The defining test, however, awaits on February 18, when the Netherlands take on defending champions India before a packed house of nearly one lakh spectators. Aware that chances like these are rare, Dutt knows the occasion could be once in a lifetime and is determined to seize whatever opportunity comes his way.

"It is a very special opportunity. India is obviously one of the best in the world and they are the defending champions. So, it's a great opportunity to compete with them and that size of a stadium does make it pretty cool," he noted.

Dutt eager to make the most of a rare opportunity

But the 22-year-old, who has so far played 53 ODIs and 26 T20Is, is not overawed by those personal and professional possibilities layered with multitude of emotions.

Dutt wanted to give a good account of himself during his second visit to India, after a not-so-memorable outing in the 50-over World Cup on these shores in 2023.

The off-spin all-rounder could only make 70 runs across nine matches, but fared better with the ball taking 10 wickets.

"Our focus is on preparing the best we can and will take one game at a time. For example, the last time when we played in Delhi it was a pretty flat wicket. So, we will assess the conditions and go from there, and hope to notch some good results for us this time," he added.

However, the Dutch side has not played any international match since facing Bangladesh in an away white ball series in September 2025.

Dutt said his team would have liked some more matches in the run-up to the ICC showpiece to gain exposure to various match situations.

"Our preparation has been great. But, obviously, we would have liked some more games before an event like this (World Cup). But I'm sure with the pre-camp opportunities that we have, we can have a team that is best prepped as anyone else, and everyone too can be prepped at their best," he said.

Netherlands will play two warm-up matches against Zimbabwe and Australia at Colombo, and Dutt hoped it will set the team in the right direction.

"Netherlands was cold and snowy. So, it was only indoors training we got out of it. But coming to Sri Lanka has definitely helped us all to finish the prep we all needed before the tournament starts. Now, we need to execute those positives on the field," he signed off.

(With PTI Inputs)