T20 World Cup: India vs Namibia
India will face Namibia tomorrow in the T20 World Cup. Read our detailed overview here…
India The tough performance against the United States on Saturday provided focus and assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said the players now realize “we're in a World Cup.”
Defending champions and tournament co-hosts India were expected to beat the United States in their opening match in Mumbai this weekend. But without captain Suryakumar Yadav's knock of 84 not out, India would have been in big trouble.
They ended up making 161 for nine from their 20 overs before restricting the United States to 132 for eight, completing a 29-run victory.
India faces Namibia in their second exit from Group A Thursday and Ten Doeschate admits the match against the United States was a wake-up call.
He told Cricinfo: “We want to play cricket a certain way, and now it feels like a better World Cup. I think that first outing in Mumbai was a good upset, a good wake-up call. When you find yourself at 77 for six, you realize you're starting the World Cup defense. We certainly know we're in a World Cup now.”
The failure of the Indian batting line-up – only four men reached double figures – means the pressure is on against the African nation in Delhi.
“The instinct of the modern batter is to hit every ball and make a six,” Ten Doeschate said. “There are times when you have to apply yourself. And I thought the Mumbai wicket required a bit more application and maybe a change in strategy. In particular, the situations we found ourselves in, losing three wickets in the last power play and then losing six by 70, required adaptation.
“And this format, if you're going for 250 all the time, you're going to make mistakes and we have to accept that. It's almost an allowable mistake, which we allow. But judging by the way the wickets have been performing in these first five or six days of the tournament, there might be a slight revision in the strategy and the way we go about it.”
Namibia enters the competition having lost their first match against the Netherlands by seven wickets.
Team news for India vs Namibia
India's Washington Sundar is in fine form after overcoming secondary strain, as is Jasprit Bumrah following illness. Opener Abhishek Sharma is unlikely to have been discharged from hospital this morning following a stomach infection.
Namibia are expected to make just one change, with 17-year-old point guard Max Heingo dropping out in favor of the more experienced Ben Shikongo.
Predicted line-up for India vs Namibia
India: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (week), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Namibia: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (week), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo
How to watch India vs Namibia
India vs Namibia begins tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 p.m. UK time. The T20 World Cup will be broadcast exclusively live in the UK on Aerial sports. You can stream it on the Sky Go app.
For coverage elsewhere in the world, click HERE for details about your local rights holder.
Prediction for India vs Namibia
India were not in good form against the United States, but that is unlikely to happen again. They have too much quality to produce another subpar show and this could turn into a very long night for Namibia.
Expect India to win and to win well. The only downside is that it will raise the expectations of their legion of fans, but it's a familiar feeling for Yadav and Co.
2026-02-12 15:12:00
