T20 World Cup: India Crush Namibia by 93 Runs in Delhi

India delivered a dominant all-round performance to outclass Namibia by 93 runs in their T20 World Cup clash, powered by explosive batting and disciplined bowling despite a late stumble in the first innings.

Ishan Kishan set the tone early with a blistering 20-ball half-century, while Hardik Pandya followed with a rapid fifty off 27 deliveries and chipped in with two wickets. Varun Chakravarthy then dismantled Namibia’s batting order, striking three times within his first ten balls to seal India’s authority in the contest.

Batting first, India raced away in the powerplay after Sanju Samson, returning to the side, launched a quickfire cameo of 22 off just eight balls. Kishan then took charge, punishing Namibia’s left-arm seamers with a flurry of boundaries to reach 61 off 24 deliveries. India surged to 86 for 1 in six overs — their highest powerplay total in T20 World Cup history — and brought up 100 in just 6.5 overs, the fastest by any team in the tournament.

With momentum firmly in their favour, India appeared on course for a massive total. However, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus pulled his side back into the game with a clever spell of off-spin, varying his release points to exploit the slight grip on the Delhi surface. He removed Kishan and later accounted for key wickets, finishing with an impressive 4 for 20. His spell triggered a slowdown in the middle overs, with India managing only 30 runs between the eighth and 13th overs while losing crucial wickets.

Hardik Pandya then reignited the innings alongside Shivam Dube, as India added 65 runs between overs 14 and 18. Pandya’s powerful strokeplay restored momentum and took India past the 200 mark. But the closing phase saw an unexpected collapse — India lost five wickets for just four runs in the final 11 deliveries, including a run-out and quick strikes from Erasmus and the seamers at the death. India eventually finished on 209, a strong total but short of the towering score they had threatened earlier.

Namibia began their chase with intent, as openers Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp counterattacked during the powerplay. However, their resistance proved brief. Varun Chakravarthy turned the match decisively in India’s favour, breaking through with his first delivery and picking up three wickets in quick succession to derail the chase.

Gerhard Erasmus tried to keep Namibia in the fight with a few attacking strokes, but regular wickets ensured the target remained well out of reach. Jasprit Bumrah, playing his first match of the tournament after recovering from illness, delivered a trademark yorker to further dent Namibia’s hopes, while Hardik wrapped up the innings with two wickets in the 18th over.

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