NEW DELHI : Defending champions India powered closer to the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a crushing 93-run victory over Namibia in their Group A clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
Asked to bat, India piled up 209-9, riding on a 20-ball 61 from opener Ishan Kishan and a 52 from Hardik Pandya, before dismissing Namibia for 116 in 18.2 overs.
The win was India’s second in as many matches and lifted them to the top of the group on net run rate ahead of Pakistan, who also have four points. The Asian rivals meet in Colombo on Sunday.
“I think it was a pretty good game for everyone,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said. “It was not an easy wicket to bat on. The way Ishan and Sanju (Samson) started, it didn’t really look like it, but it was a difficult wicket.”
With top-ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma sidelined by illness, Sanju Samson was handed another chance but fell for 22 after hitting three sixes.
Kishan survived an lbw decision on 11 after reviewing successfully, with replays showing an inside edge. He then launched a brutal assault, smashing JJ Smit for four consecutive sixes on his way to a rapid half-century.
India raced to 50 in 4.3 overs and added their next 50 in just 14 balls. Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus (4-20) removed Kishan to stem the flow, while Tilak Varma (25) and Suryakumar (12) fell in quick succession.
Pandya, who struck four sixes, combined with Shivam Dube (23) to provide late impetus as India crossed the 200 mark.
Namibia’s chase began brightly through Louren Steenkamp (29) and Jan Frylinck (22), but regular wickets derailed their effort.
Varun Chakravarthy (3-7) led India’s bowling display, while Axar Patel and Pandya took two wickets each. Jasprit Bumrah, returning to fitness, bowled four economical overs and claimed Ruben Trumpelmann with a trademark yorker.
“After the powerplay, we thought dew might make bowling tough and we had a chance. But that spell from Varun broke the back of our chase,” Erasmus said.
