New Delhi, Feb 12 (.) Ishan Kishan’s explosive 61 off 24 balls and Hardik Pandya’s late blitz of 52 off 28 propelled India to a commanding total of 209 for 9 in 20 overs against Namibia in a Group A clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Thursday.
Kishan set the tone with six sixes and five fours, dominating Namibia’s bowlers from the start. Opening partner Sanju Samson added 22 off eight balls, including three successive sixes, before being dismissed by Ben Shikongo.
Tilak Varma (25 off 21) and captain Suryakumar Yadav (12 off 13) provided stability in the middle order, keeping India ahead on the scoreboard.
Pandya’s late assault proved decisive. Smashing four sixes and four fours, he lifted India’s total from 160 to over 200 in the final overs.
Shivam Dube contributed 23 off 16 balls, helping maintain the scoring rate, while lower-order batsmen Varun Chakaravarthy (1 not out) and Arshdeep Singh (2 not out) added crucial runs.
Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus led the fightback, taking four key wickets, including Kishan, Varma, Pandya, and Axar Patel. Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, and JJ Smit claimed one wicket each. Sharp fielding saw run-outs of Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh in the final overs, but India maintained a high run rate of 10.45.
The innings was highlighted by Kishan’s power hitting in the powerplay and Pandya’s death-over assault. Notable moments included Dube’s towering 107-meter six and a series of brisk boundaries from Kishan and Pandya, keeping India firmly in control.
. . .