NEW DELHI: Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus won his first toss of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and opted to field first against defending champions India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, backing dew to play a decisive role under lights.
With both sides searching for rhythm early in the tournament, the 18th Group A encounter offered contrasting narratives.
India, buoyed by a nervy 29-run victory over the USA in their opener, handed a comeback to Jasprit Bumrah while blooding Sanju Samson at the top of the order.
Namibia, stung by a seven-wicket defeat to the Netherlands, made two forced changes, bringing in Ben Shikongo and Malan Kruger.
‘Losing Tosses, Winning Games’ – Suryakumar Unfazed
India captain Suryakumar Yadav greeted the toss result with nonchalance. “As long as we’re losing the toss and winning the game, we’re fine,” he said at the toss.
“It’s a big tournament, dew will be a big factor. Defending with dew will build our confidence. Hope our batters entertain the crowd.”
Suryakumar confirmed two key personnel changes. Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the USA game with fever, returned in place of Mohammed Siraj despite the latter’s impressive 3/29 on comeback.
More significantly, Abhishek Sharma remained sidelined with a stomach issue that required hospitalisation, paving the way for Sanju Samson’s World Cup debut.
“Abhishek isn’t fine still, might take one or two games,” Suryakumar added. “Samson comes in. Bumrah comes in for Siraj.”
Ishan Kishan, who sustained a minor toe injury during nets, was passed fit to keep wicket.
Erasmus: ‘Dew Better, Surface Flat’
Erasmus, leading Namibia in their second consecutive World Cup, had no hesitation in chasing. “Good, flat surface. From stats and a dew point of view, dew is better,” he said.
“We didn’t hit the straps last game, need big partnerships with the bat. We play to entertain and have fans around. Lovely to play in India.”
Head-to-Head: India’s Clean Slate
History offered Namibia little comfort. The sides have met once in T20Is, the 2021 World Cup in Dubai, where India romped home by nine wickets.
Rohit Sharma’s unbeaten 56 and Ravindra Jadeja’s 3/16 had underscored the gulf.
India Playing XI
Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Namibia Playing XI
Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Ruben Trumpelmann, Malan Kruger, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo.
Pitch and Conditions
The Arun Jaitley strip carried a “nice little sheen” according to pitch reporters, with short square boundaries and rapid outfield promising strokeplay.
Dew was expected to arrive during the chase, validating Erasmus’s decision.
Temperatures hovered around 18°C under cloudy skies, with air quality registering “unhealthy” (AQI ~160) but no rain interruption anticipated.
