India look to restore batting normalcy after Mumbai hiccup

For two days leading up to the Namibia fixture in New Delhi, India's top-order spent time in the nets trying to unlock their restrained shoulders. USA and Mumbai took some of the spunk out of their otherwise peerless T20I batting, and offered hope to oppositions that this team could be put on a leash if conditions can offer help.

It did in Mumbai, and has generally been kinder on the bowlers around all venues in this World Cup, where 200-plus totals have not come as easily as anticipated. India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate even admitted the need for a batting revision but over the last two days, most batters have tried to get back into their six-hitting rhythm.

Hardik Pandya hit balls deep into the Mohinder Amarnath stand on Tuesday and Sanju Samson, who is likely to feature against Namibia, found success hitting square of the wicket on both days, tonking it to the Bishan Singh Bedi stand and even sending a few to the Gautam Gambhir stand with the head coach watching from behind. As far as revision goes, India will want to get back to tormenting bowling attacks first before entertaining any flip in strategy.

There's that, and then there's the issues facing Namibia that will tell you how worlds apart the two teams are. Before this game, captain Gerhard Erasmus' biggest concern is for his players to not get overawed by the prospect of playing against the incumbent champions.

"I think it [the message to his players] would just be to stay in the moment, really just to try and play the ball as it comes. Enjoy the moment that you're in," Erasmus said. "I think if we're overawed by the situation and by the quality of cricketers that we're facing and the quality on the ball and then also the external factors, I think then you're probably not going to enjoy your night."

Namibia also don't have the experience of playing under lights, and did not get the chance to even train under it a day out from the fixture. It's another unknown to tackle for the Associate nation, but Erasmus reckoned his team will just 'rock up and do it the Namibian way, which is to fight.' All his Associate peers have done just that so far in this World Cup. Expect Erasmus & Co. too, to walk the talk.

When:India vs Namibia, 18th Match, Group A, February 12, 7 PM IST

Where:Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect:The venue reverting to type and laying out a true pitch? Largely, a lot of pre-tournament expectations have fallen flat but the Delhi venue, with its small dimensions, might offer up a chance for a high-scoring game.

Team News:

India

Abhishek Sharma needed hospitalisation for his stomach issue. He was discharged on the eve of the Namibia fixture but it looks unlikely that India will rush him back, given the short turnaround time and travel before the next game, against Pakistan in Colombo. Sanju Samson had a long hit two days out from the game in a full-fledged practice session and batted again on the eve when fewer players turned up. Both days, he batted in tandem with Ishan Kishan, and is likely to open on Thursday.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, bowled full throttle on both days and should reclaim his spot from Mohammed Siraj, despite the latter claiming a three-wicket haul against USA.

Probable XI:Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Namibia

Erasmus' team got a 2pm to 5pm training slot on Wednesday, when many of his batters managed to clear the straighter boundary from the nets. They will hope to replicate that under lights on match day, and should field the same XI that fought but fell against Netherlands.

Probable XI:Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo

Did you know:

-Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Varun Chakaravarthy has picked 58 wickets in 31 matches - the most in this format.

- Jasprit Bumrah is only one of six bowlers to pick 100 wickets in all three men's international formats.

- Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Namibia have a PowerPlay economy rate of 6.91. Among the 20 participating teams, Nepal (6.65) are the only other team to have sub-seven PowerPlay economy rate in this period.

- Gerhard Erasmus is Namibia's most capped T20I player (78 matches) and the leading run-scorer (1851) in the format.

What they said:

"We're no stranger to the [Indian] players. We see them on TV a lot, in the IPL and international cricket, so you kind of know who you're going to face. But I think in terms of exposure and in terms of the size and the sort of event that it is, I think it's going to be... I love to think for a lot of our young boys, especially guys who don't play in such a big stadium and in front of so many fans that often, I think it is something to get used to. It's going to be a very good experience for them, playing under lights and in front of I guess 40,000 noisy fans, it's going to be really cool." - Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmuson the big occasion awaiting his team.

"If I go one or two days without holding a bat, I feel weird. It feels like I've come into a different world. Every night before I sleep I visualise that I am playing the World Cup final, that I am playing the big matches and I put myself under pressure. It's become a habit from childhood, having played for so many years. So automatically before I sleep this comes to mind [that I should visualise]. So I am not bothered about whether I am getting a break, because my mind is always in that zone [of playing]." - India'sTilak Varmaon injury, rehab and comeback.