India notched up their second successive win in the T20 World Cup with a 93-run thrashing of Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. It was India's biggest victory margin by runs in T20 World Cups.
Namibia limped to 116 all out in 18.2 overs after Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya sent them on a leather hunt as India piled up 209/9.
Namibia made a lively start but lost their way when Varun Chakravarthy was brought into the attack, with the mystery spinner grabbing three wickets in his first two overs.
Arshdeep Singh was the first to strike for India, having Jan Frylinck caught at deep midwicket by Shivam Dube for 22.
However, Arshdeep's third over went for 17 as Namibia stormed to 57/1 after six overs.
Varun was brought on for the eighth over of the Namibian innings and bagged a wicket off his first ball, castling Louren Steenkamp with a googly for 29.
In his next over, Varun struck twice in three balls. First, he got Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton to hole out to Axar Patel at long-off. JJ Smit then departed for a two-ball duck when he tried to heave a delivery into the leg-side only to find his off stump knocked back.
Axar then removed Gerhard Erasmus for 18 to leave Namibia on the ropes at 88/5 after 11 overs. The left arm spinner would strike again in his next over as Malan Kruger top edged one to Jasprit Bumrah at short fine leg for five.
Bumrah joined the party by yorking Ruben Trumpelmann for six before Pandya showcased his all-round skills by taking two wickets off successive balls in his last over.
Five of the six bowlers used had taken a wicket so far and the sixth -- Shivam Dube -- was also not to be denied, finishing off the match in unusual fashion as Zane Green hit his own wicket while attempting a reverse sweep.
Earlier, Sanju Samson began India's innings with a brisk cameo but failed to kick on. After blasting 22 off eight deliveries, Samson flicked a Ben Shikongo delivery to deep midwicket in the second over.
Ishan and Tilak Varma then added 79 for the second wicket, with the former doing the bulk of the scoring.
Ishan was especially severe on left-arm medium pacer JJ Smit, smashing him for 28 in an over. The over started with a dot ball before Ishan went berserk, hitting four successive sixes and a four to reach his fifty off 20 balls.
In all, he hit six fours and five sixes before holing out to Shikongo at deep midwicket off the first ball of leg spinner Gerhard Erasmus' spell. He made 61 off just 24 balls.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who starred for India in their win over the USA, fell cheaply this time, being stumped by Zane Green off left arm spinner Bernard Scholtz for 12 off 13 balls to leave India at 120/3 in the 11th over.
Erasmus then struck again, removing Varma who was caught by Smit at long-off for 25 off 21 balls.
Pandya and Shivam Dube then added 81 for the fifth wicket to take India past 200. But, with the score at 205/4 in 18.1 overs, India suffered a mini collapse, losing five wickets in the last 11 balls, with just four runs added.
It was Erasmus who made the breakthrough once more, having Pandya caught on the backward square leg boundary for 52 off 28 balls.
Dube was run out next ball for 23 and Axar was castled for a golden duck off the last ball of the over as Erasmus finished with the eye-catching figures of 4/20 in his four overs.
Earlier, Namibia had won the toss and put India in to bat. Suryakumar was unfazed by the outcome of the toss, saying he was planning to bat first anyway.
Jasprit Bumrah who missed the opening game against the USA returns in place of Mohammed Siraj.
Abhishek Sharma who was admitted to hospital with a stomach illness in the run-up to the game misses out, with Samson coming in his place.
The teams:
India: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, 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), Ruben Trumpelmann, Malan Kruger, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo