IND vs NAM, T20 World Cup: 5 Key Takeaways from India’s 93-Run Win Over Namibia in Delhi

Team India moved to the top of the Group A table with their second successive of their T20 World Cup title defence campaign following a 93-run win over Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, February 12.

After posting a total of 209/9 in 20 overs and setting a 210-run target, Team India bowlers defended it by bundling out Namibia. for 116 in 18.2 overs. Varun Chakravarthy led the bowling attack with figures of 3/7 at an economy rate of 3.50 in his spell of two overs. 

Hardik Pandya (2/21) and Axar Patel (2/20) picked two wickets each, while Jasprit Bumrah (1/20), Shivam Dube (1/11), and Arshdeep Singh (1/36) highlighted India’s collective bowling effort.

On that note, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from India’s victory over Namibia in New Delhi.

Abhishek Sharma’s illness due to a stomach infection paved the way for Sanju Samson to make his World Cup debut on Indian soil. Despite poor performance in the T20I series against New Zealand, where he scored just 46 runs at an average of 9.2 in five matches, Samson was given an opportunity to open alongside Ishan Kishan in the Men in Blue’s second match of their campaign.

Sanju Samson did not disappoint initially as he set the tone for India’s aggressive start, smashing 22 runs off 8 balls, including three sixes and a four, at an average of 275. However, the Kerala cricketer’s blazing start to his innings was cutshort by his dismissal, sparking debate over his consistency and ability to convert quick starts into substantial, match-defining innings for India.

Ishan Kishan was at his fiery best in the match against Namibia. After his 20-run dismissal in India’s opening match against the USA in Mumbai, the southpaw bounced back in style with his blistering performance, leaving the spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in awe of his lethal strokeplay and fearless approach at the crease.

Ishan played a brilliant knock of 61 off 25 balls, including 6 fours and 5 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 254.17. The main victim of his explosive performance was JJ Smit, as he was smashed for 28 runs, including four consecutive sixes and a four, in a single over. Ishan Kishan’s 61-run knock helped Team India go past 100 runs in the seventh over of the innings, laying a solid foundation for a commanding total.

The spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and Indian cricket fans witnessed a sudden and dramatic batting collapse after Ishan Kishan’s and Hardik Pandya’s explosive innings. Despite being in a position of dominance with a strong start, India lost quick wickets in the final two overs of the innings. The collapse began right after Hardik Pandya’s dismissal at 205/5.

From 205/5, the Men in Blue dramatically collapsed to 209/9, with the dismissals of Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh, losing five wickets for just 4 runs. Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus was instrumental in triggering a collapse in India’s batting, as he picked three wickets in a single over, giving Namibia a stunning advantage after they were dominated by Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya.

Hardik Pandya’s all-rounder brilliance was on display, as his performance with the bat and ball was pivotal in India’s 93-run victory against Namibia in New Delhi. With his willow, the all-rounder revived India’s batting following a middle-order slump with a fiery knock of 52 off 28 balls, including 4 fours and as many sixes, at a strike rate of 185.71. His innings took India past the 200-run mark in the penultimate over.

With the ball, Hardik took two back-to-back wickets of Bernard Scholtz and Ben Shikongo to leave Namibia further reeling at 116/9. He missed out on a hat-trick of wickets after Namibia’s last tailender, Max Heingo, blocked the ball in the 17th over, as visitors edged towards the inevitable finish. Hardik Pandya was adjudged Player of the Match Award for his all-round brilliance.

Though Varun Chakravarthy was exceptional with mystery spin, bamboozling Namibia’s batters with his sharp turn and clever variations, his limited spell throughout India’s bowling attack. Despite being the only spin specialist in the playing XI, Chakravarthy bowled just two overs out of his four-over spell.

However, in just two overs, Chakravarthy derailed Namibia’s run chase, especially a double-wicket over in the 10th over of the second innings. This could be a tactical reason, as Namibia were almost done and dusted after collapsing from 86/2 to 111/7, losing 5 wickets for just 25 runs. Moreover, with the Pakistan clash coming up next, Team India may opt to limit Varun Chakravarthy’s overs to avoid giving opponents a chance to study his variations and bowling strategies in detail.