Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted a special dinner at his residence on Sunday as the team prepares for its upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup group-stage match against Namibia on February 12 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajiv Shukla was also present at the gathering.
The get-together came after India’s successful start to their T20 World Cup campaign. The defending champions began their group-stage journey with a 29-run victory over the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.
In that match, India were asked to bat first and posted a total of 161/9 in 20 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav played a crucial role with an unbeaten knock of 84 runs off 49 deliveries. He was supported by wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who scored 20 off 16 balls with one four and two sixes, and Tilak Varma, who contributed 25 off 16 balls with three fours and one six.
For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk emerged as the most successful bowler with figures of 4/29, while Harmeet Singh picked up two wickets for 26 runs.
In reply, the USA were restricted to 132/8, falling short by 29 runs. Milind Kumar scored 34 off 34 balls with four boundaries, while Sanjay Krishnamurthi made 37 off 31 balls with two sixes and one four. Shubham Ranjane also played a fighting knock of 37 off 22 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes.
India’s bowling attack was led by Mohammed Siraj, who claimed 3/29. Axar Patel picked up 2/24, while Arshdeep Singh returned figures of 2/18.
Following their opening win, the defending champions will now take on Namibia in their next group-stage match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on February 12.
India’s T20 World Cup Squad
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.