India tune-up for Pakistan showdown with 93-run rout of Namibia

NEW DELHI: India tuned up for their blockbuster showdown with Pakistan at the T20 World Cup with a 93-run hammering of Namibia at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

With the high-octane game against their arch-rivals looming in Colombo on Sunday, Ishan Kishan got in the mood with 61 off just 24 balls in India’s 209-9.

Namibia, who won the toss and chose to field, were bowled out for 116 as India matched Pakistan in making it two wins out of two in Group A.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy put the squeeze on Namibia, who started their innings brightly, with 3-7 from two overs as defending champions India made it 10 wins in a row in T20 World Cups.

Chakravarthy struck with his first ball to remove Louren Steenkamp for 29 and took two more wickets in his second over.

READ MORE: Italy crush Nepal for first cricket T20 World Cup win

Fellow spinner Axar Patel took two wickets with his left-arm spin, including Malan Kruger, for five, when Jasprit Bumrah took a high, diving catch at short fine-leg.

Hardik Pandya took two wickets in two balls near the end but the hat-trick was averted before the innings folded in 18.2 overs.

The Pakistan government late Tuesday reversed its order for the cricket team to boycott Sunday’s match as a protest at Bangladesh being kicked out of the tournament.

India top the group from Pakistan on net run rate, and the winner of Sunday’s clash will be assured of advancing to the Super Eight stage as one of the top two in the five-team group.

For India, Sanju Samson struck 22 in eight balls and Kishan smacked left-arm pace bowler JJ Smit for four sixes and a four to raise his fifty off 20 balls.

India raced to 100 in the seventh over before off-spinner Gerhard Erasmus dismissed Kishan with the first ball of his spell before finishing with 4-20 from his four overs.

India had a mini-collapse from 104-1 to 124-4 before Pandya, who hit 52, and Shivam Dube, who made 23, rebuilt the innings  with a stand of 81 for the fifth wicket.

Pandya fell to Erasmus with substitute fielder Dylan Leicher taking a stunning grab in the deep.

He caught the ball on the run but flipped the ball up inside the playing area as he stepped over the ropes, before crossing back to complete the catch.