New Delhi, Feb. 12 -- India did not so much overpower Namibia as methodically close every available exit.
Chasing 209 under lights, Namibia were bowled out for 116 in 18.2 overs, handing India a 92-run victory that strengthened their Group A position and burnished their net run rate.
Yet for nine overs, this contest flickered with intrigue before India's spinners applied the familiar, suffocating squeeze.
Namibia began with commendable boldness. They drove through the line, ran hard and refused to be overwhelmed by reputation. At 57 in the Powerplay and 85 for 2 after nine overs, the chase had shape. The required rate was demanding but not absurd. India, momentarily, were being asked a question.
The answer arrived in a devastating burst. From 85 for 2, Namibia collapsed to 88 for 5 as Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel tightened their grip. Varun's variations - delivered with identical arm speed and subtle drift - drew batters into indecision. One misread the googly.
Another lunged at a length that dipped late. Axar, relentless and accurate, attacked the stumps and starved the scoring options.
Dot balls accumulated. Risk inflated. Wickets followed.
It was not pace that undid Namibia; it was patience. The middle overs, once again, belonged entirely to India. Jasprit Bumrah's control ensured no late surge materialised, and Hardik Pandya added a flourish at the death with two wickets in two balls, briefly igniting hat-trick anticipation.
The end, when it came in the 19th over, felt procedural.
Earlier, India's 208 for 9 had promised even more. Ishan Kishan ignited the innings with a 20-ball half-century, propelling India past 100 inside seven overs.
The Powerplay yielded 86 for 1 - the most productive of this edition - and for a while 230 appeared conservative. Hardik's muscular 52 off 28 balls restored late momentum after a middle-overs slowdown, but Namibia's captain Gerhard Erasmus had ensured the total remained competitive with a clever spell that disrupted rhythm.
That mid-innings drift will not go unnoticed in the dressing room. Against stronger spin units, such deceleration can alter outcomes. Against Namibia, it merely trimmed the margin.
What will reassure India is the consistency of their bowling core. In tournament cricket, control often trumps spectacle.
Varun's deception, Axar's discipline and Bumrah's precision offer a template built for pressure situations and slower surfaces.
Namibia deserve credit for their early enterprise and fearless intent, but once the squeeze began, escape routes vanished.
India march on with four points secured and momentum intact.
The margin reads emphatic. The performance, efficient. Sterner examinations await, but for now, control remains their calling card.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.