The defending champions eased to victory.
Hardik Pandya was the star of the show for India as they hammered Namibia at the T20 World Cup, breaking several records in the process.
Having been put into bat by the associate nation, India posted an imposing 209-9, setting a target that was always likely to prove beyond Namibia.
Ishan Kishan hit six fours and five maximums as he top-scored with 61, becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to post a half-century in the T20 World Cup.
That powered India to 104-1 before Gerhard Erasmus (4-20) removed Kishan, and the subsequent dismissals of Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma left them wobbling a little on 124-4.
But Hardik’s 28-ball 52, which saw him find the rope four times and also hit four sixes, got the defending champions back on track.
Hardik’s two wickets came after the game was over as a contest, with Namibia seeing a promising start to their reply quickly dissipate.
The opening partnership of 33 between Louren Steenkamp (29) and Jan Frylinck (22) was the best it got for Namibia, who were unable to stem the tide of wickets after Arshdeep Singh removed the latter and Steenkamp fell to Varun Chakravarthy (3-7).
Varun took two wickets in three balls in the 10th over, and there was never any hope of a fightback from Namibia’s lower and middle order thereafter. They were dismissed for 116, with India’s winning margin of 93 runs their largest at a T20 World Cup, surpassing a 90-run triumph over England in 2012.
India extend record run
The victory was India’s 10th in succession at the T20 World Cup, extending the longest winning streak in the tournament.
Still, captain. Suryakumar Yadav saw plenty of room for improvement after what he described as a “scratchy” start.
“Pretty good game, tough pitch to bat on,” Suryakumar said.
“Ishan, [Sanju] Samson (22) made it look easier. The ball was stopping a bit, but not taking credit away from Namibia’s bowlers. After six, seven overs, we thought we might go over 240, but cricket is a leveller.
“We had a great finish. Varun bowls well in partnership with Axar [Patel]. Hardik bowls wherever needed and gives a big boost with the bat. Every game is important, we started a bit scratchy, but we are on the road.”
Hardik was named player of the match fo his efforts.
“Touch wood, everything is going well,” he said. “I’ve always taken pride as a batter. When it comes off, it adds more sugar to the cake. Body has been fantastic, it takes a lot of hard work, which I cherish.
“Playing for the country is the number one priority. I do an army-like camp a month before the tournament.
“We have a lot of options, pacers and spin covered. Varun, Axar and Kuldeep [Yadav] too. They’ve done a tremendous job.
“Two back-to-back pitches haven’t been batting-friendly, wicket was holding a bit today. You just adapt and let your skill set work. We’d like a little more flatter wickets.”
What next for India?
India have claimed maximum points from two Group A games as they seek to successfully defend the title.
Next up is the clash with Pakistan that will go ahead after their neighbours decided to end their boycott of the fixture.
That match, which takes place in Colombo on Sunday, will almost certainly decide who wins the group.
India then round off their Group A campaign against the Netherlands on February 18, with that contest taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. If India lose to Pakistan and the Netherlands defeat the United States on Friday, the final Group A contest will be a winner-take-all for a place in the Super 8s.
