India Beats Namibia, Extends T20 World Cup Winning Streak to 10 Matches
Delhi celebrates as India crushes Namibia in their biggest T20 World Cup win ever. India beat Namibia by 93 runs, making it two wins out of two in this tournament. With this victory, India becomes the first team to win 10 T20 World Cup matches in a row, a streak that began in 2024.
Earlier in the evening, Namibia won the toss and opted to bowl first. In the absence of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson opened the innings, making his T20 WC debut with a bang. The Kerala wicketkeeper batter ensured that India didn't feel Abhishek's absence with a whirlwind 22 off just 8 balls, but fell prey to Ben Shikongo.
India Crushes Namibia by 93 Runs, Extends Unbeaten T20 WC Streak to 10
At the other end, Ishan Kishan went berserk, scoring a breathtaking 61 off 24 balls, with six 4s and five 6s, seeing India cruise past the 100-run mark in just 6.5 overs. It was the fastest team 100 in the T20 WC history. Kishan added 79 runs for the second wicket with Tilak Varma, who got a start and scored 25 off 21 balls. However, the Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus and Bernard Scholtz got their side back in the hunt with a few quick wickets and reduced India to124/4.
It took a few overs for the Men in Blue to get back to their brutal best as Hardik Pandya put on a show, slamming 52 off just 28 balls with 4 fours and as many sixes in his stylish knock. He was involved in a quickfire 81-run fifth-wicket stand with Shivam Dube, who played a proper second fiddle to the Baroda all-rounder. A late collapse India lost 5 wickets in the final two overs, yet the hosts managed to post a massive 209/9 in 20 overs. Erasmus was the pick of the Namibia bowlers, leading from the front with figures of 4/20.
A wicket each for Shikongo, Scholtz and JJ Smit, but they were all expensive. Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck started on a good note, adding 33 runs in a quick time. But once the Indian spinners, especially Varun Chakaravarthy, entered the party post the powerplay, the Namibian innings went downhill as they were bundled out for just 116 in 18.2 overs. Barring the openers who got into the 20s, only three other batters got into double figures.
