Twitter Reactions: Kohli-Shastri era ends as India bows out with clinical win over Namibia

Jadeja, Ashwin restricted Namibia to 132/8 before fifties from Rohit, Rahul helped India get those in 15.2 overs.

By Pratyay Tiwari

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Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli
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Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

India bowed out of 2021 T20 World Cup 2021 with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Namibia, to make it a happy ending for Virat Kohli, who played his last game as the T20I skipper, and Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar, all of whose tenure as India coaches came to an end.

The Indian team is set to undergo a coaching overhaul, while Kohli, who led India to their 30th victory in his 50th T20I as the skipper, will next take field in the shortest format only in the capacity of a batter.

Ashwin, Jadeja dent Namibia

After Kohli won his second toss and trot and inserted Namibia, they made a positive start, with the openers – Stephen Baard and Michael van Lingen – adding 33. Namibia managed to have a slight bit of an impetus towards the end too, as India conceded 37 in the last four.

But between the positive start and a bit of late acceleration was the impressive spin duo of India, who brought back the memories of old by nabbing the opponents with all their guile and wile in the middle-overs.

Van Lingen fell for 14 inside the powerplay when he found mid-off off Jasprit Bumrah. From thereon, it was all Ashwin-Jadeja show; they snared six wickets for just 36 runs, sending down 24 dots in their eight overs combined.

Jadeja got into action inside the powerplay when he got Craig Williams stumped for a four-ball duck, before returning in his next to pin Baard leg before with an arm ball, with the batter reviewing it to no avail.

Middle-order muddle

Ashwin was at his crafty best, unfurling his many variations. He struck in his second over when he cajoled Nicol Loftie-Eaton with a tossed-up delivery who saw his edge gobbled by the first slip Rohit Sharma. At the time, Namibia were 47/4, and the rut was briefly halted but they never quite managed to accelerate enough to push for an imposing total.

Skipper Erasmus, who scored a sedate 12 off 20, edged Ashwin behind while trying to cut a delivery that was too close to be cut, while Ashwin got his third when he cleaned up a southpaw – Zane Green – for the umpteenth time to finish 3/20. In between, Jadeja (3/16) got his third in JJ Smit courtesy of a brilliant grab by a forward-diving Rohit at the covers. Namibia’s talisman David Wiese could not do much either, hitting a couple of fours in his 26 before toe-ending a Bumrah slower ball to Rohit.

Rohit, Rahul give flying start

Chasing a modest 133 for the win, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul killed the chase with an 86-run stand, with Namibia unable to strike until nearly the halfway mark.

The start was slightly scratchy but Rohit Sharma had luck favouring him aplenty: Ruben Trumpelmann could have had him in the opening over had short fine leg managed to cling on to a difficult chance. To add insult to injury, the ball went to the boundary, before he ensured to rub more salt on Namibia’s wounds, cracking Wiese in the next over past mid-off for four followed by a six over fine leg to get up and running.

Rohit got another reprieve when he mistimed Trumpelmann to midwicket, only for it to fall inches short of the fielder. Another couple of close shaves later, he got into his elements, taking the attack to Bernard Scholtz, who he slapped a four and six in the penultimate of the powerplay, which fetched India 54 for no loss.

Rahul-SKY finish it off

KL Rahul contently played the second foil to Rohit; he was 20 off 17 when the latter notched up his 24th half-century off 31 deliveries. The stand was broken finally when Rohit (56 off 37) skied Frylinck to the keeper only a couple of deliveries after Rahul smoked him for a six.

Rahul accelerated after Rohit’s exit, and brought up his own half-century off 35 balls, while No. 3 Suryakumar Yadav struck a breezy, unbeaten 25 off 19, including a couple of his 360-degree strokes to take India home with nine wickets and 4.3 overs to spare.

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