Defending champions India were not at their very best but were good enough to thrash Namibia by 93 runs in their second game of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in Delhi on Thursday night.
Riding on half-centuries by opener Ishan Kishan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, India ran up 209 for nine on the board. Then Varun Chakravarthy turned in his magic to bamboozle the Namibian batters as they were bundled out for 116.
“Pretty good game, tough pitch to bat on. Ishan and Samson made it look easier. Ball was stopping a bit but not taking credit away from Namibia’s bowlers. After 6-7 overs, we thought we might go over 240 but cricket is a leveller. We had a great finish. Big plus to see Bumrah bowl all four. Varun bowls well in partnership with Axar. Hardik bowls wherever needed and gives a big boost with bat. Every game is important, we started a bit scratchy, but we are on the road,” said Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Coming into chase, Namibian openers Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck showed their flair by setting a scoring rate of 10. However, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh provided the breakthrough by dismissing Frylinck for 22 off 15 balls. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton joined Steenkamp, who continued scoring boundaries to close out the Powerplay at a strong 57/1, this is Namibia’s best in T20 World Cups.
Namibia were maintaining their intent when No.1 ICC Men’s T20I bowler, Varun Chakaravarthy, was introduced and he hit the timber of Steenkamp on his first ball. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus came in next and extended his earlier impact by hitting two huge maximums off Axar Patel first over.
Chakaravarthy was India’s man again as his spin got the better of Loftie-Eaton (13 off 13) and JJ Smit (0) in the space of three balls. Axar, after a tough previous over, joined his spin counterpart to further break Namibia’s middle-order by striking big with Eramus’ wicket. He topped it with a wicket-maiden.
His second arrived shortly, courtesy a great diving catch by Bumrah to get Malan Kruger after the batter heaved a four over mid-on. The next Namibian batters could not hold on as Bumrah unleashed his classic toe-crusher to send back Trumplemann for 6.
“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. Smit’s spell was good; that’s the kind of specialisation we want. We aren’t playing at our 100%. We have a lot of firepower but aren’t laying a foundation. Quality of India’s bowling showed, overs 6-10 broke the back,” said Namibian captain Erasmus.
Earlier, Erasmus won the toss and elected to field against India, who flexed their muscle in batting, putting on 209/9 in 20 overs.
After a quickfire 22 by Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma (25) gave India the perfect launch pad with a 79-run partnership off just 31 balls. Kishan, who has been in sparkling form since returning to the team earlier this year, produced another punchy knock, hitting six fours and five sixes for 61 off 24 balls.
India motored to 120 for two in 10 overs and Hardik Pandya made sure India maintained the momentum with a 28-ball 52. He and Shivam Dube (23) powered to an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket to take India well past the 200-mark.
However, Namibia were able to limit the damage in the last couple of overs as they lost five wickets, slipping from 205 for five to 209 for nine. Captain Erasmus led the fightback with a four for 20 haul in his four overs. The off-spinner sent back Kishan, Varma, Pandya and Axar Patel and was also involved in Dube’s run out.
“Just enjoying the sport, had a good couple of months to prepare. Touchwood, everything is going well. I’ve always taken pride as a batter. When it comes off, it adds more sugar to the cake. Body has been fantastic; it takes a lot of hard work which I cherish. Playing for the country is the No. 1 priority. I do an army-like camp a month before the tournament. We have a lot of options, pacers and spin covered. Varun, Axar and Kuldeep too. They’ve done a tremendous job. Two back-to-back pitches haven’t been batting-friendly, wicket was holding a bit today. You just adapt and let your skill-set work. We’d like a little more flatter wickets,” said Hardik Pandya, who was named Player of the Match.
Brief scores: India 209 for nine (Ishan Kishan 61, Sanju Samson 22, Tilak Varma 25, Hardik Pandya 52, Shivam Dube 23; Gerhard Erasmus 4/20) beat Namibia 116 in 18.2 overs (Louren Steenkamp 29, Jan Frylinck 22; Varun Chakravarthy 3/7, Axar Patel 2/20, Hardik Pandya 2/21).
