T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs NAM highlights: Fifties from Kishan and Pandya plus Varun’s three-wicket haul power India to pole position.
Brief Scores: India 209/9 (Ishan Kishan 61, Hardik Pandya 52, Gerhard Erasmus 4/20) beat Namibia 116 (Louren Steenkamp 29, Varun Chakaravarthy 3/7) by 93 runs.
Player of the match: Hardik Pandya (52 & 2/21).
Despite their victory against the United States of America (USA) to begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, India had to restore their batting normalcy. Their batting wobble put them at risk of a World Cup upset. Meanwhile, Namibia aimed to showcase a better all-round performance against a Test-playing nation, getting the rare golden opportunity. They met each other at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and decided to bowl first on a flat surface. He pointed out the dew factor behind his decision to chase down the target. They made two changes in the playing XI with Ben Shikongo and Malan Kruger replacing Dylan Leicher and Willem Myburgh.
India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, confirmed Abhishek Sharma’s unavailability for the contest due to a stomach upset. That forced the management to bring back Sanju Samson at the opening spot. Fit-again Jasprit Bumrah also returned to the side in place of Mohammad Siraj.
Talking point: Is India going too hard in early overs and leaving too little for the end?
India repeated the same mistake of going too hard in phases of the game. In their opening game, it backfired on them with 4-46 in the powerplay. Meanwhile, they lost 5-10 in the last two overs in this clash. Against the associate nations, their scores might still prove to be enough, but once they face the stronger teams, it will be an issue.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan withdraws boycott of Colombo fixture with India
India lose track in middle overs to finish with 209-9
Samson gave India the early momentum with 22 runs in his eight balls before his dismissal. But the pocket-rocket, Ishan Kishan, took it to a different level. The Southpaw collected 28 runs from the final over of the powerplay against JJ Smit with four successive sixes. He celebrated his fifty in just 20 balls as India reached 86-1 after six overs.
However, the defending champions struggled massively against the opponent spinners as they lost three wickets for 58 in the next eight overs. Luckily, Hardik Pandya was still at the crease. He used his power and experience to give them the late flourish. The Baroda batter notched up his fifty in just 27 deliveries with four boundaries and four sixes.
The pendulum moved again as India lost five wickets for only 10 runs in the last two overs to finish with 209-9 in their allotted 20 overs. Erasmus was fabulous with the ball, using his unique variations, to finish with 4-20 in his four overs.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs USA: Surya’s gritty 84* saves India the blushes in their opening game
India’s spinners squeeze Namibia after loose start to earn 93-run win
In reply, Namibia made a strong start as they posted 57-1 inside the powerplay. Louren Steenkamp looked in great touch as he put Arshdeep Singh’s slower short delivery into the stands. But once India introduced Varun Chakaravarthy into the attack, the opposition’s wheels came off. They lost five wickets for only 39 runs in the next seven overs.
A few of their batters went for unnecessary shots and lost wickets to put more pressure on the team. Hardik looked in a great rhythm with the ball as Namibia got bundled out for 116. The home side bagged a massive 93-run victory to continue their dominance.
Statistical highlights from IND vs NAM T20 World Cup 2026 clash
- Since October 2025, Sanju Samson has a T20I average of 12.30 against right-arm pacers inside the powerplay. He has been dismissed six times against this type of bowling, with the highest score of 18.
- India scored 86-1 in the power play. It is now their highest powerplay score in T20 World Cup history.
- Since his comeback in 2026, Ishan Kishan has collected 175 T20I runs inside the powerplay at a strike rate of 201.15. He has notched up 22 fours and 11 sixes in this process.
- Since October 2025, Hardik Pandya has collected 137 T20I runs in eight innings of the middle overs (7-15). He carries a strike rate of 165.1 in this phase.
- India struck 14 sixes in their batting innings. It is now the second-highest tally of maximums for India in a single team innings in T20 World Cup history. The highest is 15, which they hit against Australia in the T20 WC 2024.
- India record their third-highest T20I team score (209-9) in T20 World Cup history.
- Since January 2025, Varun Chakaravarthy has collected the second-most T20I wickets (22) in the middle overs (7-15). He has a fabulous strike rate of 12.82 in this phase.
Points table scenario and what’s to come
India stay at the top of the points table with a strong net run-rate of +3.050. Meanwhile, Namibia continue to be at the bottom with a net run rate of -2.884.
The Blue Brigade will be up against the arch-rivals, Pakistan, on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Meanwhile, on the same day, Namibia will travel to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for their fixture against USA.
Read More: SKY’s 84* vs USA one of the best against-the-odds knock in T20 WC history
Top Twitter Reactions from IND vs NAM, Delhi, Group A, T20 World Cup 2026
Ishan Kishan’s determination to go back to the domestic grind, stay away from the limelight for nearly two years, and then lead a relatively young team to SMAT success, and then translate that into equally impressive performances for India deserves more credit! #T20WorldCup2026
— Priyank Panchal (@PKpanchal09) February 12, 2026
Brilliant hitting by Ishan Kishan this. Pocket dynamo for sure.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 12, 2026
Excellent Change of pace and angle (by lowering the arm) by the Namibian spinners. Pegged us back after a rocket start. #IndvNam
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 12, 2026
Read More: Best openers in T20 WC 2026: Abhishek-Ishan/Buttler-Salt/Seifert-Allen/Markram-De Kock/Head-Inglis?
