Facing the menacing associate teams has been anything but a cakewalk for the giants in this World Cup and defending champions India have already experienced that firsthand. After escaping a scare against the USA in Mumbai last week, India’s T20 World Cup campaign has now moved to New Delhi, where they take on Namibia.
The game against Namibia is more of an extended warm-up match, where they would like to bat first and let the line-up get a good hit before locking horns with arch-rivals Pakistan.
However, more than the opposition, it is player fitness and well-being that have tested India during the ongoing tournament.
While Washington Sundar has regained fitness and rejoined the team at Kotla, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah is also fit and available
for Thursday’s clash against Namibia. What has kept the team management concerned, though, is Abhishek Sharma’s illness.
The flamboyant opener, who batted through a fever in Mumbai, was later diagnosed with a stomach infection and hospitalised. Although he was discharged on Wednesday, doubts still linger over his availability, not just for the Namibia game but for Sunday’s marquee clash against Pakistan as well.
“He (Abhishek) was examined when we reached Delhi. He went to the hospital, but I think he was discharged today and is doing well. We still have one more day before the game, so hopefully we’ll take a call tomorrow based on how he feels,” Tilak told reporters on the eve of the Namibia fixture.
With uncertainty surrounding Abhishek, Sanju Samson will be hoping for a T20 World Cup debut in Delhi. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter looked in good touch during Wednesday’s net session, clearing the ropes off a few net bowlers before spending time regaining rhythm against the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Sundar.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, who turned saviour in Mumbai, also appeared in sublime touch. The confidence was evident during consecutive training sessions under lights.Having rediscovered his batting rhythm in the New Zealand series, the captain will be keen to pick up from where he left off in Mumbai.
“Head coach Gautam Gambhir has asked us to play cautiously if wickets fall in clusters, as they did against the USA. Suryakumar bhai and I can play the anchor’s role if required,” Tilak added.
Samson’s World Cup Debut, Ishan Injured
If Abhishek fails to recover in time, Samson could be in line to make his T20 World Cup debut in Delhi on Thursday, a big opportunity for the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to stake his claim.
Meanwhile, there was a brief scare during India’s nets when Ishan Kishan was struck on his left toe by a sharp Bumrah Yorker. Kishan went down in pain and required medical attention, but returned to face a few more balls before heading back to the dressing room.
From the sidelines, the situation appeared under control, with no immediate signs of a serious injury.
Namibia Yet to Catch Up
The associate nations are writing their own story at the T20 World Cup with incredible performances. However, Namibia are yet to catch up. They were thrashed by India A in the warm-ups and received a similar treatment from fellow associates, the Netherlands, at the very same venue on Tuesday.
But when it comes to facing India, that too, in their own backyard, it is a mixed feeling, both nervous and exciting.
“India’s batting unit has different skill sets, aggressive powerplay hitters, middle-overs players who access all parts of the field, and depth right down the order. Their bowling also has multiple options. There won’t be much respite, we’ll need to fight for all 120 balls with bat and ball,” said Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus.
The Namibians have been training well. They arrived in Delhi early and have been working across all departments, but the lack of practice under floodlights keeps bothering them.
Back home, they are not equipped with such facilities that allow them to play night matches. Even coming to India, they took the field under the sun, be it in the warm-ups or against the Dutch.
“We haven’t got any lights in Namibia, day-night games or night games in Namibia. Infrastructure-wise, it’s probably the challenge for us. It’s not a casual thing for guys. It doesn’t bother guys who played in the Nepal Premier League and the ILT20 and tournaments like that, and then the World Cups that we’ve played, you don’t really get accustomed to lights and train under it very often,” Erasmus said.
The captain failed to understand why his team was not given a night training session when they were to play under the lights. However, forced by the circumstances, Namibia have the only option left with them, fight hard.
“We haven’t been given a night training before this game. I don’t know why. I think India has two-night trainings and I see outside that Canada are going to have a night training now. So, make of that what you want, but we’ll just rock up and do our Namibian way, which is to fight,” he added.
Playing against India is the biggest exposure Namibia could get. It is their second encounter with the men in blue in the T20 World Cups and Erasmus wants his boys to enjoy the moment and not get carried away.
“Stay in the moment. Enjoy the occasion, focus on each ball, and keep a clear mind. If you get overwhelmed by the situation, the opposition, or the crowd, you won’t enjoy it. A calm mindset naturally improves your chances,” he added.
Predicted XIs:
India: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Namibia: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo.
