Changes on cards as India eye win over Namibia before Pakistan showdown

Amidst the mist in early morning hours before heat takes over the skies for the rest of the day, the thrill factor in New Delhi will go up a notch when defending champions India take on Namibia in a Group A clash of 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday evening.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side had an almighty escape against the US to kick off their title defence on a winning note, thanks to the skipper dishing out a rescue act masterclass at his home ground.

With lessons learnt from that near banana peel situation, India would seek a more authoritative performance against Namibia before their attention shifts to the marquee clash against Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.

As the sun made way for night time to take centre stage, Jasprit Bumrah was back at what he does best - running in, rhythm restored, and menace intact. After ten days away from the bowling crease due to illness, Bumrah bowled at full tilt during Tuesday’s training session. His return could mean that Mohammed Siraj, who had an impressive showing by picking three wickets against the US after being called as a last-minute replacement for Harshit Rana, will be forced to make way for him. But Bumrah’s return is just one piece of a puzzle that the Indian team think-tank is still assembling.

Abhishek Sharma, the swashbuckling opener whose audacious strokeplay can change games in mere minutes, is in hospital with a stomach bug. His first-ball golden duck against the US was followed by absence from the fielding innings due to viral fever and an upset stomach.

Should Abhishek be deemed unavailable for Thursday’s clash, the spotlight will turn to Sanju Samson, the elegant keeper-batsman whose fortunes have oscillated like a pendulum. Losing his opening spot to an in-form Ishan Kishan after a lean patch against New Zealand, Samson now finds himself on the verge of getting back his opening slot.

But the pressure to perform will be high on Samson – he averages just 16.8 in T20Is since 2025 and has been out 10 times in the first six overs. In Tuesday’s practice session, he was tentative initially before getting the timing right.

Despite hosting just one game so far, New Delhi has already established itself as venue offering the highest turn so far in this tournament, the onus will be high on Samson to be the perfect partner with Kishan to maximise power-play returns.

For Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, this is the ground where they’ve plied their trade for Delhi Capitals in countless IPL battles. They know every crack, rough patch, and inch of the small ground so well that it will come to advantage for keeping Namibia’s batters on a tight leash.

Though Axar was surprisingly sent in at number eight in Mumbai, if trouble strikes again in New Delhi, expect Axar to arrive much earlier and target short boundaries easily.

With Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube in fine fettle, Indian bowling line-up looks formidable on paper.

Yet for all India’s firepower and home advantage, Namibia arrives into the clash after a seven-wicket loss to Netherlands on Tuesday. Though India had the better of them in their 2021 meeting by nine wickets, Namibia will be keen to put their concerns aside and put up a better showing in front of a sell-out crowd in the stadium.

Captain Gerhard Erasmus, Namibia’s leading run-scorer in T20Is, would be keen to play a longer innings after his cameo was cut short by Bas de Leede.

Jan Frylinck is capable of giving Namibia the explosive start they need, while Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, who top-scored with 42 on Tuesday, will be needed to play longer if the Indian bowlers run through the batting order.

Left-arm pacer Ruben Trumpelmann, with his height and ability to extract movement, holds the new ball responsibilities alongside JJ Smit, though his struggles against left-handers could prove costly against an Indian top order majorly filled with southpaws.

But with a desire to prove they’ve evolved hugely since 2021, expect Namibia to give a tough fight to a mighty Indian outfit, who will hope their stars shine brightest when it matters the most on Thursday before Sunday’s high-stakes clash against Pakistan takes centre stage.

Indo-Asian News Service

Squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green (wk), Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, William Myburgh, and Max Heingo.