🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026:M18: India vs Namibia, Delhi 🏏

For two days leading up to the Namibia fixture in New Delhi, India's top-order spent time in the nets trying to unlock their restrained shoulders. USA and Mumbai took some of the spunk out of their otherwise peerless T20I batting, and offered hope to oppositions that this team could be put on a leash if conditions can offer help.

It did in Mumbai, and has generally been kinder on the bowlers around all venues in this World Cup, where 200-plus totals have not come as easily as anticipated. India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate even admitted the need for a batting revision but over the last two days, most batters have tried to get back into their six-hitting rhythm.

Hardik Pandya hit balls deep into the Mohinder Amarnath stand on Tuesday and Sanju Samson, who is likely to feature against Namibia, found success hitting square of the wicket on both days, tonking it to the Bishan Singh Bedi stand and even sending a few to the Gautam Gambhir stand with the head coach watching from behind. As far as revision goes, India will want to get back to tormenting bowling attacks first before entertaining any flip in strategy.

There's that, and then there's the issues facing Namibia that will tell you how worlds apart the two teams are. Before this game, captain Gerhard Erasmus' biggest concern is for his players to not get overawed by the prospect of playing against 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 don't have the experience of playing under lights, and did not get the chance to even train under it a day out from the fixture. It's another unknown to tackle for the Associate nation, but Erasmus reckoned his team will just 'rock up and do it the Namibian way, which is to fight.' All his Associate peers have done just that so far in this World Cup. Expect Erasmus & Co. too, to walk the talk.

When: India vs Namibia, 18th Match, Group A, February 12, 7 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect: The venue reverting to type and laying out a true pitch? Largely, a lot of pre-tournament expectations have fallen flat but the Delhi venue, with its small dimensions, might offer up a chance for a high-scoring game.

Team News:

India

Abhishek Sharma needed hospitalisation for his stomach issue. He was discharged on the eve of the Namibia fixture but it looks unlikely that India will rush him back, given the short turnaround time and travel before the next game, against Pakistan in Colombo. Sanju Samson had a long hit two days out from the game in a full-fledged practice session and batted again on the eve when fewer players turned up. Both days, he batted in tandem with Ishan Kishan, and is likely to open on Thursday.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, bowled full throttle on both days and should reclaim his spot from Mohammed Siraj, despite the latter claiming a three-wicket haul against USA.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Namibia

Erasmus' team got a 2pm to 5pm training slot on Wednesday, when many of his batters managed to clear the straighter boundary from the nets. They will hope to replicate that under lights on match day, and should field the same XI that fought but fell against Netherlands.

Probable XI: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo

Did you know:

-Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Varun Chakaravarthy has picked 58 wickets in 31 matches - the most in this format.

- Jasprit Bumrah is only one of six bowlers to pick 100 wickets in all three men's international formats.

- Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Namibia have a PowerPlay economy rate of 6.91. Among the 20 participating teams, Nepal (6.65) are the only other team to have sub-seven PowerPlay economy rate in this period.

- Gerhard Erasmus is Namibia's most capped T20I player (78 matches) and the leading run-scorer (1851) in the format.

Big picture: India sweat on Abhishek, Bumrah, Washington

February is usually a wonderful time in Delhi, when winter starts giving way to spring, but people are already complaining of a missed spring with temperatures hitting the late 20s as early as the second week of February. Even amid the climate change of the last decade or so, there has been one pattern: a late hailstorm typically brings back another week of chilly weather. An Indian Winter, if you will, Delhi's response to Indian Summer, which is the term the English give to a late spell of hot weather when it should be autumn.

The fans, who will sell out the Feroz Shah Kotla even with schools turning down offers for free tickets for students to non-India matches because of looming board exams, will hope for a similar storm of sixes after a dry run in India's tournament-opener. The anticipation for 300 in the Indian media has come in for some mockery, with the pitches not turning out as flat as they are in bilaterals, but at a venue with small boundaries that has turned high-scoring in recent IPL seasons, India will hope to get back to big-scoring ways after navigating a banana peel against USA on a gripping Wankhede surface.

Against them are Namibia who managed just 156 in Delhi against Netherlands and lost quite comfortably. They might still sense a chance as India struggle with fitness and health issuesaround Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar, and will themselves be gunning to go big with the bat in a World Cup. What an opportunity for Namibia to make a name for themselves by stretching the strongest-ever contenders for a T20 World Cup.

In the spotlight: Bernard Scholtz and Suryakumar Yadav

When India were struggling against USA in the unfamiliar conditions laid out by Mumbai, it was Suryakumar Yadav's blinder that gave them a match-winning score. That wretched year of 2025, during which he didn't score a single fifty, seems well and truly behind him now. Suryakumar now has more match awards for India than anyone, having gone past Virat Kohli's 16.

Namibia, another Associate side that like to open the bowling with a spinner, will hope Bernard Scholtz can repeat what he did against Netherlands. In defence of a paltry 156, the left-arm spinner took out opener Max O'Dowd and conceded just 27 in his four overs.

Team news

Washington has joined the Indian squad, but they have other health troubles in the side. Bumrah missed their first match with illness, and while he seems to have recovered and bowled full-tilt at the nets on Tueday, Abhishek has been struggling with a stomach issue. He reportedly played in Mumbai with fever, and it turned worse by the time the team reached Delhi, where he was hospitalised. Tilak Varma said on Wednesday that he has been discharged, but India will take a call on his availability on the day of the match. India might want to take their time with the big names, and in the process give some game time to the reserves.

India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.

Seventeen-year-old fast bowler Max Heingo bowled only two overs and went for 22 against Netherlands. Namibia could replace him with the more experienced Ben Shikongo.

Namibia (possible): 1 Louren Steenkamp, 2 Jan Frylinck, 3 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 JJ Smit, 6 Zane Green (wk), 7 Dylan Leicher, 8 Willem Myburgh, 9 Ruben Trumpelmann, 10 Bernard Scholtz, 10 Ben Shikongo.

Pitch and conditions

A low score in a 11am match in Delhi is no definitive proof that the pitch is slow or not batting-friendly. The real test of the conditions will be when India play in the evening. And don't worry, no hailstorm is happening yet. It is going to be as nice as pleasant as it can be in that city's air.

Stats and trivia

• India have now won nine consecutive matches at the T20 World Cup, including all eight in the last edition. This is the longest winning streak in T20 World Cups, going past Australia's eight across 2022 and 2024.
• Against USA, Suryakumar didn't score a single run through the covers, as per ESPNcricinfo's data. His 84 was the highest score by anyone without a run through that part of the field, where data is available.

Thanks for the thread Parm.

Finally India ka match hehe, lets see if Abhi plays, if not lets see who will replace him

Originally posted by: WildestDreams

Team News:

India

Abhishek Sharma needed hospitalisation for his stomach issue. He was discharged on the eve of the Namibia fixture but it looks unlikely that India will rush him back, given the short turnaround time and travel before the next game, against Pakistan in Colombo. Sanju Samson had a long hit two days out from the game in a full-fledged practice session and batted again on the eve when fewer players turned up. Both days, he batted in tandem with Ishan Kishan, and is likely to open on Thursday.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, bowled full throttle on both days and should reclaim his spot from Mohammed Siraj, despite the latter claiming a three-wicket haul against USA.

Probable XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Namibia

Erasmus' team got a 2pm to 5pm training slot on Wednesday, when many of his batters managed to clear the straighter boundary from the nets. They will hope to replicate that under lights on match day, and should field the same XI that fought but fell against Netherlands.

Probable XI: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo

Hope Abhishek will get better by Sunday. And it will be a good decision to give him rest in today's match.