Hardik Pandya delivered a brilliant all-round performance as India defeated Namibia by a massive 93 runs in their Group A match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. The emphatic victory marked India’s biggest win by runs in the tournament so far, further strengthening their position in the group stage.
After being invited to bat first, India posted an imposing total of 209 for 9 in 20 overs, thanks to explosive half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Opening the innings with an aggressive approach, Kishan played a blistering knock of 61 runs off just 24 balls, smashing the Namibian bowlers all around the ground. His innings provided India with a strong start and set the tone for a high-scoring match.
Hardik Pandya continued the momentum in the middle order, scoring a quickfire 52 off 28 deliveries. His powerful hitting ensured India maintained a high run rate even after losing a few wickets at regular intervals. Sanju Samson, who was included in the playing XI in place of Abhishek Sharma, also contributed with a short but impactful cameo of 22 runs off only 8 balls. However, he failed to convert his start into a bigger score, getting out soon after.
Namibia’s bowlers managed to pull things back slightly in the final overs by taking wickets, but India’s total still proved far too strong.
In reply, Namibia struggled from the very beginning of their chase. The Indian bowlers kept things tight and applied consistent pressure, not allowing the opposition batters to settle. Namibia were eventually bowled out for 116 runs, falling well short of the target.
Hardik Pandya once again proved his value with the ball, returning impressive figures of 2 wickets for 21 runs. India’s bowling unit worked together effectively, ensuring Namibia never threatened to chase down the total.
With this dominant win, India sent a strong message to other teams in the tournament and gained valuable momentum heading into their upcoming matches.
