Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 142
Win percentage while batting first: 52%
Pitch conditions:
- The pitch at the Dubai international cricket stadium has remained a challenging one for all the teams in the tournament but India showed the way with the ball in their clash against Scotland a few nights ago.
- India's performance against Scotland also indicated that teams can get big scores and make quick runs even while batting second if they show the intent and are brave enough to take the risks.
- Despite this being a bowling-friendly wicket, spinners have got only 37.99% of the tickets compared to 62.01% for the fast bowlers.
Weather prediction:
A bright and clear day will be witnessed at Dubai on Monday with the temperatures hitting a high of 31°C in the afternoon, which will drop down to below 30°C after the sunset. The humidity levels will linger around 50 to 55% during the match hours on Monday evening.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD:
Matches played: -
India won: -
Namibia won: -
No result: -
Top 3 players from India: KL Rahul, R Sharma, Mohammad Shami
Top 3 players from Namibia: David Wiese, Gerhard Erasmus, Jan Frylinck
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from India: KL Rahul, R Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah
Top 5 players from Namibia: David Wiese, Gerhard rasmus, Jan Frylinck, Craig Williams, Rubel Trumpelmann
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
India will remain in search of a big victory irrespective of what happens in the contest between Afghanistan and New Zealand on Sunday night. V Kohlii's team has shown that it can be absolutely ruthless and clinical in crushing lowly teams and Namibia will have to watch out for the wrath of the Indian side. If it is a contest in which India get to bat first, fireworks will be expected from the Indian batsmen, which means adding more to the batting strength will always make sense and that too from the Indian team.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Namibia may have found the Super 12 round far more challenging and exhilarating compared to their journey so far until the qualification round. Nevertheless, they still have impressed one and all with their audacious performances in all departments. Former South Africa international David Wiese is leading their charge both with the bat and the ball and he will remain a strong threat to the Indian side come Monday night in Dubai. While Namibia are undoubtedly over-reliant on the services of Wiese, there is absolutely no doubt in saying that it is the Indian team which is in form and has been on a roll in the last couple of matches. India would like to finish the Super 12 stage of the tournament on a high with a big victory, as they are certainly the stronger side among these two for this contest.
MORE INFORMATION: India's fate in the World Cup will be decided on Sunday afternoon during the contest between Afghanistan and New Zealand. A win for the Afghans will send India into the semifinal round along with their arch rivals Pakistan, whereas New Zealand will just have to win the contest to go through. Irrespective of what happens on Sunday afternoon, India will want to give their best and send a strong statement in the tournament after making a poor start against things such as New Zealand and Pakistan. Namibia are already out of contention for the semifinals’ round, but it is their brand of cricket which has impressed one and all in this tournament, and they would certainly want to end the tournament on a positive note.
Players’ form: India have all of their key players in form such as KL Rahul, R Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, V Kohlii and even Rishabh Pant as well as Hardik Pandya. The Indian team has been on a roll with two impressive victories in their last as many matches against Afghanistan and Scotland, and they will be expecting to end the tournament on a high — in case they do not make it to the semifinals round — with a big victory over Namibia. On the other hand, Namibia have some big players such as Wiese, Jan Frylinck, Gerhard Erasmus and Craig Williams to look up to.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
India: KL Rahul, R Sharma, V Kohlii (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Namibia: Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wk), Karl Birkenstock, Rubel Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.
Fantasy XI: R Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), V Kohlii, David Wiese, Rishabh Pant (wk), Jan Frylinck, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerhard Erasmus, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rubel Trumpelmann.
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India look to end Super 12 with big win over Namibia
The final match of the Super 12 stage between India and Namibia can be a dead rubber since the fate of the Indian team will be decided on Sunday afternoon itself when Afghanistan take on New Zealand in Group 2 contest. If Afghanistan manage to get the better of New Zealand, it will be the Indian team which will get a wonderful opportunity of making it to the semifinals despite starting off the tournament on a horrible note. But if New Zealand manage to beat Afghanistan by any margin, the Kiwis will be making it to the semifinals round in what will be a continuation of their impressive performances in Cricket tournaments over the last few years.
India started off the tournament on a poor note when they were defeated by heavy losses in the first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand. While the team has managed to recover from the horrendous Net Run Rate which had pegged them back, it is not in their hands as far as qualifying for the final four round is concerned.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was the wrecker in chief for Scotland in their previous match, said without any hesitation that the team will Blackett's bag pack their bags and head home without much qualms in case if they fail to not reach the semifinals round.
But the victory over Namibia will certainly help the Indian team give a strong farewell to V Kohlii, who could be possibly captaining them for the last time in the shortest format of the sport. Kohli had announced that the World Cup is his last assignment as the team's captain and the team will be inspired to produce a strong performance on those lines.
While India were poor in the first two matches, they have been unstoppable both with the bat and the ball ever since. Afghanistan were crushed by 66 runs and Scotland were pummelled by eight wickets when India chased 84 in only 6.3 overs to record the best NRR among all teams in Group 2.
Namibia were ahead of India in the points table at one stage in the tournament, since they had a victory — over Scotland — and India did not. But not only the Indians have managed to rise in the points table, they also have been able to get back into the form and performances which were expected from them.
But Namibia can still be content given that they have two points in the kitty, and they will not be finishing last in the tournament, given that Scotland will take on Pakistan in their last match on Sunday evening who have not lost a game yet in the tournament.
Former South African cricketer David Wiese has been the backbone of the Indian side as his experience in T20 leagues around the world has proved vital for the African nation. At the same time, Namibia also have some very promising players who will be looking to learn more from the Indian players while trying to give their best when the teams take the field on Monday evening.
