T20 World Cup Group: The sun had barely begun its descent when, from 5 pm onwards, cricket enthusiasts converged outside the entry gates of Arun Jaitley Stadium. Their anticipation increased with each passing moment, and by the time the game began, 33,400 fans had packed the stands with eyes waiting to witness an Indian victory over Namibia in the Men’s T20 World Cup Group A clash.Though they got an Indian victory, the path to seeing that was like a pendulum oscillating to and fro. If Sanju Samson’s cameo of 22 was like seeing a thrilling YouTube video with an abrupt ending, Ishan Kishan’s 61 off 24 balls was like an entertaining mini-series – tons of drama and action worth six maximums and five fours – that left the crowd spellbound and roared in approval.
Just as India raced to 104/1 in just seven overs, the unpredictability factor in cricket struck. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus, armed with an arsenal of deception – side-arm deliveries, round-arm stock balls and variations delivered from behind the crease – created a stranglehold that choked India’s middle overs.
The numbers told the story: career-best figures of 4-20 in four overs that would surely have caught the attention of Pakistan’s Usman Tariq ahead of Sunday’s marquee clash. With India’s momentum arrested, it fell to Hardik Pandya to author the rescue act. Showcasing his characteristic swagger, Pandya smashed four sixes and as many boundaries to 52 off 28 balls, while Shivam Dube provided valuable support with 23 off 16 deliveries.
Their 81-run partnership off just 39 balls resurrected Indian hopes. Yet Namibia pulled things back as they took five wickets in the final two overs, as India made 209/9. In reply, Varun Chakaravarthy’s 3-7 and Axar Patel’s 2-20 wrecked the Namibian batting line-up, as they were bowled out for 116 in 18.2 overs. The 93-run margin is also India’s biggest victory in Men’s T20 World Cup history, underlining their dominance despite occasional lapses in the match.
Inserted into batting first, Ruben Trumpelmann tested Kishan with bounce and seam. Sanju Samson, however, stamped authority early by launching the final ball of the first over straight over the sightscreen for six. The real fireworks came in the second over as Samson whipped Ben Shikongo for two sixes, before lofting over extra cover for four.
But Shikongo had the last laugh as Samson perished after going early on the flick against a slower ball and was caught at deep midwicket. Kishan maintained the tempo by driving and pulling JJ Smit for boundaries, before carting Shikongo and Trumpelmann for a boundary each. The sixth over was pure carnage, as Kishan tore into Smit by smashing four sixes in five balls – from downtown to long leg – and reached his fifty in just 20 balls with a swivel-pull going for four.
That stunning show of strokeplay meant India’s powerplay tally of 86/1 is the highest total in the six-over phase in this competition. After India brought up their hundred in 6.5 overs, Namibia’s fightback began when Erasmus had Kishan mistiming a pull to deep mid-wicket.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav found Erasmus’s slingers tricky, and that pressure led to him being stumped for 12 off Bernard Scholtz. Erasmus had his second scalp when Tilak Varma miscued to long-off, as India slipped to 124/4 in 11.5 overs.
Pandya and Dube led India’s rebuilding act by initially being cautious against spin, before the former broke the shackles with a towering six off Scholtz and creaming Trumpelmann through extra cover for four.
Dube, meanwhile, unleashed a monstrous 107-metre pull off Scholtz, before Pandya carted him for six over long-off and four through extra cover as Scholtz’s final over went for 24 runs, including wides and misfields.
Pandya welcomed Shikongo in the 16th over by hitting a six down the ground, before lofting and slicing him for two boundaries. After Dube squeezed a yorker from Smit past third man for four, Pandya got his fifty in 27 balls by smacking Erasmus over cow corner for six.
Despite crossing the 200-run mark, another wobble followed India: Pandya miscued a full toss to deep square leg, who completed the dismissal via a juggling relay catch, while Dube was run out thanks to a sharp throw from Erasmus, and Axar Patel was castled by a super slow slinger from him. With Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh falling in the final over to Smit, India didn’t get the required finishing touches and ended one run short of 210.
Namibia’s chase began with Jan Frylinck taking a four and six off Pandya, before driving and pulling Arshdeep Singh for two boundaries. But Arshdeep struck back in the fourth over as Frylinck miscued a knuckle ball to deep mid-wicket. Louren Steenkamp carved Arshdeep for two boundaries and a six slashed over the short third, as Namibia ended power-play at 57/1.
After Namibia milked 10 runs from Jasprit Bumrah’s opening over, Varun Chakaravarthy turned the game in the eighth over – his first ball was a googly that castled Steenkamp for 29. Loftie-Eaton and Erasmus tried to rebuild, but Varun’s accuracy kept them quiet.
Though Axar Patel was greeted with back-to-back slog-sweeping sixes from Gerhard Erasmus in the ninth over, Varun returned to dismantle Namibia further – having Loftie-Eaton hole out to long-off, while castling JJ Smit with another googly.
Axar joined the wicket-taker charts when Erasmus holed out to long-off and then had Malan Kruger top-edging a sweep to short fine leg, who managed to hang on to the ball at the last moment. Bumrah, who came in for Mohammed Siraj, nailed a yorker on the base of off-stump to castle Ruben Trumpelmann, while Hardik bagged two scalps and Shivam Dube had Zane Green dismissed via hit wicket to complete a comprehensive win for India.
As the game concluded, the 33,400 fans who poured in from 5 pm got what they wished for: a strong total from India, but one that could have been monumental. But they had no complaints, considering they got to see a convincing Indian victory, which would keep them in good standing ahead of facing Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.
India 209/9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 61, Hardik Pandya 52; Gerhard Erasmus 4-20) beat Namibia 116 all out in 18.2 overs (Louren Steenkamp 29, Jan Frylinck 22; Varun Chakaravarthy 3-7, Axar Patel 2-20) by 93 runs
Article Source: IANS
