T20 World Cup 2026: India overpower Namibia by 93 runs

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Without being anywhere near their absolute best, India packed far too many guns for Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday night.

A strange batting display headlined by bruising half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya helped tide over two collapses at different stages of the innings, the first triggered by Gerhard Erasmus, the captain who had invited India to make first use of an initially tacky surface. Despite also losing five for four in 11 deliveries at the very end, India put up 209-9 when so much more appeared on the cards following Kishan’s pyrotechnics which brought up the team hundred in a mere 6.5 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah predictably took his place in the side at the expense of Mohammed Siraj, but Suryakumar Yadav opted to open the defence of that total through Pandya and Arshdeep Singh. Openers Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck chanced their arm, and Erasmus backed up career-best figures of four for 20 with successive sixes off Axar Patel, but Namibia ran out of steam once Varun Chakravarthy was introduced in the eighth over.

Varun Chakravarthy (below) celebrates with wicket of Namibia’s JJ Smit. Pic/AFP

Handily placed at 67-1 after seven overs, Namibia unravelled spectacularly after the leg-spinner cleaned up Steenkamp with a googly first up. Chakravarthy broke the Namibian chase with 3-7 in two overs.. India surged to their second successive win in the T20 World Cup, by 93 runs after Namibia were shot out for 116, setting the stage for a blockbuster Sunday showdown in Colombo with Pakistan.

Earlier, Kishan watched Sanju Samson tee off with three sixes in the second over from Ben Shikongo before being dismissed off the final ball.

86-1
No. of runs scored by India in the first six overs — their highest-ever Powerplay score in a T20 World Cup

6.5
No. of overs taken by India to reach 100 — their fastest team century in a T20 World Cup 

93
India’s victory margin against Namibia in New Delhi on Thursday — their biggest (by runs) in T20 World Cup

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