Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted a dinner for Team India at his residence on Sunday, offering a relaxed get-together ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup group match against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla was also among those present at the informal gathering.
 

India come into the fixture on the back of a confident start to their title defence, having defeated the United States by 29 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. Batting first, India posted 161 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav anchored the innings with an unbeaten 84 off 49 deliveries.

Ishan Kishan chipped in with 20 runs from 16 balls, including one four and two sixes, while Tilak Varma added a brisk 25 off 16 balls, striking three fours and a six. For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk was the standout bowler with figures of 4 for 29, while Harmeet Singh picked up 2 for 26.

Chasing the target, the USA were restricted to 132 for 8. Milind Kumar top-scored with 34 from 34 balls, Sanjay Krishnamurthi made 37 off 31 deliveries, and Shubham Ranjane contributed a quick 37 from 22 balls. India’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Mohammed Siraj returning figures of 3 for 29, Axar Patel taking 2 for 24, and Arshdeep Singh claiming 2 for 18.

Following the opening win, India now turn their focus to the Namibia clash in Delhi as they look to consolidate their position in the group stage.

India’s T20 World Cup squad includes Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.