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DELHI: Hardik Pandya’s all-round skills came to the fore against Namibia, powering India to a 93-run victory ahead of the Pakistan clash in the 18th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
Set a daunting 210, Namibia were skittled for 116 in 18.2 overs.
Namibia’s openers started positively with 33 runs in the first 3.4 overs. Jan Frylinck struck three fours and a six in his 22 from 15 balls.
Despite the wicket, the visitors kept batting briskly as Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and Louren Steenkamp put on 34 run stand on the second wicket, bringing the score to 67 in 7.1 overs.
Steenkamp top-scored with 29 from 20 balls, hitting two fours.
After his wicket, skipper Gerhard Erasmus came to the crease and struck two sixes before getting caught. He made 18 from 11 balls.
His wicket sparked a collapse as India never allowed Namibia to recover. Consequently, they slumped to 94-6 to all-out from 86-2 in 18.2 overs.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s rapid half-centuries propelled India to a massive total.
Asked to bat first, India racked up 209-9 in their 20 overs.
Sanju Samson, who was brought into the side as ill Abhishek Sharma’s replacement, started briskly with a flurry of boundaries.
The right-hander hit three sixes in his 22 from eight before getting caught in the second over.
After his wicket, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma stabilized the innings with a 79-run partnership on 39 balls.
Ishan, who struck five sixes and six fours in his 61 from 24, played the core aggressor role while Varma played the second fiddle.
The duo brought the team’s score to 104 from 25 in 7.1 overs.
Namibia’s spin bowlers made an impressive comeback in the middle overs, wicket-quick wickets to dent the hosts’ proceedings.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets, while Hardik Pandya also chipped in with the ball, taking two wickets.
India will face Pakistan in the high-voltage clash on Sunday, February 15.
As a result, India were 124-4 in 11.5 overs with all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube at the crease.
The pair stitched a vital 81-run partnership off 39 balls, putting their side in a commanding position.
Pandya scored a brisk 52 from 28, including four maximums and four boundaries.
Nambia did well in the final two overs as India lost five wickets in the span of eight balls.
For Namibia, Gerhard Erasmus stood out with four wickets to his name in his quota of four overs.
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