India vs Namibia, 18th Match, Group A, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

India after a rusty start against USA now have registered a convincing win against Namibia. They are all set to take on Pakistan in Colombo on the 15th. Namibia now have lost both matches and are staring at elimination. Time for us to say our goodbyes for the night. That's it from here. See you tomorrow on another triple-header. Bye bye.

Suryakumar Yadav | India captain: "I think pretty good game for everyone. I think it was not an easy wicket to bat on, but the way Ishan, Sanju started, it didn't look like it was a difficult wicket. And then the partnership between Shivam and Hardik, the way they batted after losing two-three quick wickets, I think it was very commendable. (on the pitch) I think the ball was stopping a little bit, but I don't want to take any credit away from all the Namibian bowlers. They bowled really well. I think they came out with fire. They had their plans, executed really well, but very impressed with their bowling as well. (at one stage even 230 was possible) I mean, after 6-7 overs, it felt like we might go past 240, 250 as well. But then it's a game of cricket. Fantastic leveler. We lost two-three quick wickets, but then we had a good partnership and a good finish at the end as well. (with the ball in the middle-overs) I mean, yeah, it was a big plus to see Bumrah bowl quota of all the four overs. Good to have him back in the side. He's all set to go for the next game as well. And also Varun Chakravarthy, the way they bowl in partnerships together with Axar Patel, I think it's a difficult combination to play. (fully fit Pandya gives a lot of flexibility) Absolutely. I mean, with the new ball, with the old ball, and he also bowls in death overs whenever needed. And the way he bats, I think it's a big boost for the team coming in that situation, having that positive mindset and taking that MoM today in a crucial game. I think it's a good thing for the team. (pretty happy with things are going?) Absolutely. I mean, every game is important. And yeah, we did start a little scratchy, but then I think we are on the road."

Gerhard Erasmus | Namibia captain: "Yeah, I thought, after, you know that the powerplay that we had, that it's quite a small ground, maybe a bit of dew settling might make it tough for the spinners in the back half of that innings. So yeah, we really felt after 26 overs of cricket that we're in with a chance, and unfortunately that spell of Varun broke the back of our chase. (on their death bowling) Yeah, I think so. I think that death spell as well from Smit coming back, you know, after the powerplay had leaked a bit, I think that's, that's the kind of specialization we want in our team. It's always been a matter of getting the top and bottom ends of our innings to a higher standard to compete with these bigger teams. (on the game against USA) Yeah, I think that's perhaps slow conditions in Chennai might suit us, and I think there's still a lot in the tank. I don't think we're playing at 100% now. So we'd like to see that happen on this tour still. We've got a lot of firepower in our batting, but we're not quite getting enough balls under the belt to set that foundation to show that firepower. (any change in the pitch?) No, I don't think any change in the pitch. I think obviously there's quality on the ball from the bowlers from India, and that's shown in that middle period. That overs 6 to 10 just broke the back."

Hardik Pandya | Player of the Match: "Yeah, definitely, just enjoying the sport. Had a good couple of months to prepare and, you know, get the rhythm and, you know, get the body right. Touchwood everything is going well. (on his batting) Yes, I've always taken pride in my batting as an all-rounder. So whenever I get an opportunity, I make sure that both the skills are managed rightly. And yeah, I always mention it quite earlier as well that batting is always close to my heart. And when that comes, it's a, you know, it even adds more sugar to the cake. (on his body) Body has been fantastic. I've always mentioned it takes a lot of hard work, which I cherish. But, you know, playing for the country has always been a pride, always been my number one priority. It just needs extra hard work, which I do. A lot of work goes behind the scene where I'm kind of out and kind of go into army, army sort of a camp where I do morning, evening sessions, which kind of keeps me going. And whenever I come, just before a big series or a big tournament, I kind of give myself a month or something to go and do kind of those routine, make sure I eat well, make sure I sleep well, make sure my habits are good. And you know, it gives me always a great rhythm. And at the same point of time, body gives me immense support while playing. (on the variety of their bowling) Yes, I think that's the strength of this team. We have a lot of options. We have fast bowling covered, we have spin covered. There are days when fast bowlers will come in the party when the wicket offers. And at the same point of time, spinners have been in the middle have been fantastic. Varun, Axar, Kuldeep, whenever he's got opportunity. I think they've been fantastic. At the same point of time, whenever the fast bowlers get opportunity, they've been fantastic. And I think they have done a tremendous job. (on the pitch today) Yes, I think two back-to-back games in the World Cup has been a little, I wouldn't say batting-friendly. We had to adapt. I think today, even when I went to bat, it felt like the wicket was holding a bit. It was keeping low as well. But yeah, you know, all these wickets in big tournaments, you just adapt and, you know, let your skill set work and understanding the game. And yeah, it was different, but I would, we would like a little bit more flatter wickets."

Stats by Roshan Gede

Pace vs Spin in this game
Pace: 7/235 in 25.2 overs, ER: 9.27, Dots: 53 (34.8%)
Spin: 10/88 in 13 overs, ER: 6.76, Dots: 39 (50%)

10 wickets to spin tonight - the most in a Men’s T20I in India, after 12 featuring the hosts and New Zealand in Nagpur at the T20 World Cup 2016.

18 games into the tournament, spinners have bowled 50.4% of the overs so far, the highest in a T20 World Cup edition, followed by 45.8% in 2012 (in Sri Lanka).

Most consecutive wins in Men’s T20 WC
10* - India (2024-2026)
8 - South Africa (2024)
8 - Australia (2022-2024)
7 - England (2010-2012)
7 - India (2012-2014)

Biggest victory margins for India at T20 WC (by runs)
93 runs vs NAM, Delhi, 2026
90 runs vs ENG, Colombo RPS, 2012
73 runs vs AUS, Mirpur, 2014
71 runs vs ZIM, Melbourne, 2022
68 runs vs ENG, Providence, 2024 SF

22:29 Local Time, 16:59 GMT, 22:29 IST: 10th consecutive win for India in T20 World Cups. So easy this one. Especially once Varun came on. Till then Nambia were in the game. They had a good powerplay and Erasmus was striking the ball well. But it all changed when Varun struck first ball. He took three quick wickets and Axar chipped in with Erasmus to leave Nambia five-down. From then there was only one result possible and India used their other bowlers to give them some bowling practice. Varun just bowled two overs as Dube and Pandya rolled their arm over. Everyone who bowled were among the wickets. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff...

Shivam Dube to Zane Green, THATS OUT!! Hit Wkt!!

Ishan Kishan has a chat with Hardik Pandya for the field for the hat-trick delivery. India enjoying themselves. A wide slip. Short cover and short mid-wicket. Gully also. Also a short fine. The crowd cheer Pandya on. Here he comes.

Hardik Pandya to Ben Shikongo, THATS OUT!! Lbw!!

Hardik Pandya to Bernard Scholtz, THATS OUT!! Caught!!