India vs Namibia Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: India beat Namibia by 93 runs; register second victory of the tournament

Shikongo and Kruger in, Leicher and Myburgh out for Namibia

NAMIBIA playing XI: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Malan Kruger, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo

"Abhishek isn't fine still, might take one or two games. Samson comes in. Bumrah comes in for Siraj," says India captain Suryakumar Yadav at toss.

INDIA playing XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus has won the toss and opted to field first against India at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

A few key numbers frame the context heading into this contest.

Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Varun Chakaravarthy has taken 58 wickets in 31 matches, the highest tally in the format during this period. Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, remains one of only six bowlers to have claimed 100 wickets in each of the three men’s international formats.

Namibia’s figures also warrant attention. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, they have maintained a PowerPlay economy rate of 6.91. Among the 20 participating teams in this tournament, only Nepal, at 6.65, have kept it below seven in that phase. Captain Gerhard Erasmus anchors their experience: he is Namibia’s most capped T20I player with 78 appearances and the leading run-scorer in the format for his country with 1,851 runs.

“You’re around your family, so for me, home has always been special… it’s sometimes a very challenging profession as well,” Gambhir said, highlighting the loneliness and pressure that often accompany life in international cricket. He stressed that the support staff often become more than colleagues. “Support staff is not just support staff; it’s actually more than a family,” he added, noting how shared experiences build strong bonds within the team environment.

After posting 156 against Netherlands in Delhi and losing, Namibia approach this match aware of the challenge.

Yet the fixture presents a platform. Erasmus has called on his players to enjoy the moment and compete without being overawed.

Associate teams have demonstrated resilience in this tournament, and Namibia will aim to replicate that fight. Extending India into the later stages of the game would represent a significant statement, irrespective of result.

India’s last outing, in the first match against USA, suggested that even their established T20I batting unit can be contained when surfaces offer assistance to bowlers.

That possibility has provided encouragement to opponents. The response has been visible in the nets, with renewed focus on six-hitting and assertive intent.

Rather than overhaul strategy, the aim appears to be restoring rhythm and confidence. Against a Namibia side adjusting to stage and setting, India will seek to dictate terms early and avoid allowing the contest to drift into a low-scoring grind.

The contrast in resources and experience is evident, but this match also reflects the broader growth of Associate cricket.

Namibia’s campaign includes a 156-run effort against Netherlands in Delhi, a result that ended in defeat, yet participation on this stage remains significant.

Erasmus has focused on mindset rather than outcome, urging players not to be overawed by facing the champions.

Across the tournament, Associate teams have shown they can compete. For Namibia, stretching India deep into the contest would reinforce that progress.

After suffering drastic weight loss due to dehydration and fluid loss, Abhishek was admitted to Ganga Ram hospital in New Delhi.

Abhishek did not travel with the Indian team to the ground for the training session on Wednesday.

"Abhi [Abhishek] still has a few issues with his tummy. We are hopeful that he will be available for the game in two days’ time," India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said at the press conference.

Namibia qualified for their first T20 World Cup in 2021 after finishing fourth in the 2019 qualifiers, and they have been among the most consistent Associate teams since, qualifying for the tournament four times in a row.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, the all-rounder who picked up a wicket and scored a crucial 42 against the Netherlands, expressed confidence in his team’s abilities. "We’re not just here to fill the tournament. Anything can happen, and we just have to believe that we can beat the bigger nations and compete with them," Loftie-Eaton said.

Namibia have produced performances to back those claims. In their maiden appearance in 2021, they progressed from the first round to the Super 12 stage and registered their first-ever win against a Full Member nation by defeating Ireland.

In the next edition in 2022, they defeated Sri Lanka in the first round but were unable to progress further.

More recently, the Eagles beat South Africa by four wickets in a one-off T20 international in October 2025.

Loftie-Eaton has been part of all these moments and has contributed significantly to the rise of Namibian cricket. He believes the gap between top-ranked teams and Associate nations is narrowing.

"We are smaller nations compared to the bigger nations, so I think the gaps have been closing over the last few years. We’ve been getting more exposure against top teams. Every second year you play in a World Cup and get to rub shoulders with the best in the world. Cricket Namibia has done an amazing job in giving us opportunities to play Zimbabwe and South Africa. So the gap is ultimately closing, especially in T20 cricket. There is still a long way to go in the 50-over format, but progress is evident," Loftie-Eaton said.

While India aim to regain batting fluency, there are concerns around player fitness and availability. The team is monitoring Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar ahead of this fixture.

Any uncertainty around key names adds another subplot to a contest already framed by differing expectations. Namibia come into the game after managing 156 in Delhi against Netherlands and suffering a defeat, yet they will view this as a significant opportunity.

Playing under lights remains unfamiliar territory, but Erasmus and his group have underlined their intent to compete without hesitation. For India, the task is to combine renewed attacking intent with clarity around selection and health. For Namibia, it is a chance to test themselves against the strongest contenders in the tournament and measure how far their structure and belief can carry them on this stage.

February in Delhi usually signals the transition from winter to spring, yet temperatures have already climbed into the late 20s in the second week of the month.

Historically, a late hailstorm has often brought back a brief spell of cooler weather, a pattern locals sometimes liken to a delayed winter response. On the field, fans filling the Feroz Shah Kotla will hope for a different kind of storm — one of sixes — after India’s measured start to the tournament.

Anticipation of 300-plus totals has drawn mockery as pitches have not been as flat as in bilateral series. Still, the venue’s short boundaries and high-scoring IPL record suggest potential for a shift. India will look to move beyond the tense contest against USA at Wankhede and rediscover their scoring tempo in conditions that could encourage strokeplay if execution matches intent.

For Namibia, the build-up has revolved less around tactics and more around mindset. Captain Gerhard Erasmus has identified the main challenge as ensuring his players are not overawed by facing the incumbent champions.

“I think it [the message to his players] would just be to stay in the moment, really just to try and play the ball as it comes. Enjoy the moment that you're in,” Erasmus said. “I think if we're overawed by the situation and by the quality of cricketers that we're facing and the quality on the ball and then also the external factors, I think then you're probably not going to enjoy your night.”

Namibia also lack experience playing under lights and did not get an opportunity to train under them a day before the fixture. Erasmus has said the team will ‘rock up and do it the Namibian way, which is to fight.’ Associate teams have shown that approach in this tournament so far.

India have used the build-up to this match to recalibrate their batting approach.

Mumbai surface placed their strokeplay under restraint against USA, offering opponents hope that conditions can contain them if assistance is available. Throughout this World Cup, bowlers have found more help than expected and 200-plus totals have been rare.

India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted the need for revision, and the last two practice sessions have focused on regaining rhythm.

Hardik Pandya struck balls deep into the Mohinder Amarnath stand, while Sanju Samson, who is likely to play against Namibia, repeatedly targeted the square boundaries, sending deliveries into the Bishan Singh Bedi and Gautam Gambhir stands under the watch of the head coach.

India will aim to return to imposing themselves on bowling attacks rather than altering strategy drastically. The focus appears to be on restoring intent before considering any broader tactical shifts in this tournament.

Stay with The Times of India for all the live updates as India take on Namibia in their second T20 World Cup fixture.

Over the past two days, India’s batters have spent extended time in the nets attempting to rediscover their six-hitting rhythm after a tough outing against USA in Mumbai.

Conditions in this tournament have generally assisted bowlers, and 200-plus totals have not come as easily as anticipated. India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the need for a batting revision, and the focus in training has reflected that.

Hardik Pandya was seen hitting into the Mohinder Amarnath stand, while Sanju Samson, likely to feature tonight, found range square of the wicket, clearing the Bishan Singh Bedi and Gautam Gambhir stands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

On the other side, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus has urged his players to stay in the moment and not get overawed by the champions.