The India National Cricket Team Vs Namibia National Cricket Team Timeline is relatively short compared with many international cricket rivalries, but it contains several memorable Cricket World Cup moments. India and Namibia have not played each other regularly in bilateral cricket, with their meetings largely coming in ICC tournaments and other international events.
Their first major senior men’s international encounter came at the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. India produced a huge 181-run victory, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 152 and Sourav Ganguly making 112. More than two decades later, the teams met again at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where India won by 93 runs in New Delhi.
The 2026 match was particularly notable because Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya both scored rapid half-centuries, while Varun Chakaravarthy took three wickets as India defended 209 successfully.
India vs Namibia Cricket Timeline
| Year | Tournament/Event | Result / Major Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ICC Cricket World Cup | India defeated Namibia by 181 runs |
| 2003 | World Cup | Sachin Tendulkar scored 152 |
| 2003 | World Cup | Sourav Ganguly scored 112 |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup Warm-up | India A defeated Namibia by 130 runs |
| 2026 | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup | India defeated Namibia by 93 runs |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup | Ishan Kishan scored 61 and Hardik Pandya 52 |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup | Varun Chakaravarthy took three wickets |
2003: The First Major India vs Namibia Meeting
The first major senior men’s international meeting between India and Namibia came during the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The match was played on February 23, 2003, at Pietermaritzburg in South Africa.
India entered the contest as one of the tournament’s established sides, while Namibia were competing on the biggest stage against one of world cricket’s leading teams.
India won the toss and chose to bat.
What followed was one of the most dominant batting performances of the tournament.
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar Dominate
India’s opening wicket fell early, but captain Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar then produced an enormous partnership.
Ganguly scored 112 from 119 balls, while Tendulkar made 152 from 151 deliveries.
The pair added 244 runs for the second wicket.
Tendulkar’s innings included controlled strokeplay rather than an unusually high number of sixes. According to the ICC, he did not hit a six during his 152-run innings.
Their partnership allowed India to post a huge total.
Namibia were eventually dismissed for 130, giving India a massive 181-run victory.
The result was one of India’s largest wins of the 2003 tournament.
Sachin Tendulkar’s 152 Against Namibia
The 2003 match remains especially important because it produced one of Sachin Tendulkar’s most memorable World Cup innings.
Tendulkar scored 152 from 151 balls.
The ICC later highlighted the innings among the memorable individual performances from World Cup history. It was Tendulkar’s only century during the 2003 edition of the tournament.
Tendulkar ultimately finished the 2003 World Cup as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 673 runs from 11 matches.
His performance against Namibia formed an important part of that outstanding campaign.
Sourav Ganguly’s 112
Sourav Ganguly also played a major role in the 2003 encounter.
The Indian captain scored 112 from 119 deliveries.
His century provided the platform for India’s huge total and created the 244-run partnership with Tendulkar.
The combination of Ganguly’s attacking strokeplay and Tendulkar’s controlled batting allowed India to dominate the match.
Namibia’s Response in 2003
Namibia faced a huge target and struggled against India’s bowling attack.
The Namibian batting lineup could not establish the partnerships required to challenge India’s total.
India eventually bowled Namibia out for 130.
The final margin of 181 runs demonstrated the difference between the two teams at that point in their respective international development.
For Namibia, however, competing against India at a World Cup remained a significant part of their cricketing history.
A Long Gap Between Senior International Meetings
Following the 2003 World Cup, India and Namibia did not develop a regular bilateral cricket schedule.
This is an important difference between this matchup and India’s rivalries with teams such as Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Namibia continued developing its international cricket program, particularly in the limited-overs formats.
The team became increasingly competitive in T20 cricket and eventually established itself as a regular participant in ICC global tournaments.
India, meanwhile, continued to develop into one of the world’s leading cricket teams across all three formats.
As a result, the two teams could meet primarily when ICC competitions created the opportunity.
2026: India A vs Namibia Warm-Up Match
A new chapter began ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
India A faced Namibia in a tournament warm-up match.
India A posted 197, with Riyan Parag scoring 69 from 39 balls and Naman Dhir making 39 from 29 deliveries. Ashutosh Sharma then provided a late contribution with 35 from 21 balls.
Namibia’s chase quickly collapsed.
India A reduced them to 40/8 before Namibia were eventually bowled out for 67.
Gurjapneet Singh and several other Indian bowlers contributed to the collapse.
India A won by 130 runs.
Although this was not a senior India men’s international, the warm-up match was significant because it brought the two cricket programs together again shortly before their T20 World Cup group-stage encounter.
2026 T20 World Cup: India vs Namibia
The biggest recent chapter in the India National Cricket Team Vs Namibia National Cricket Team Timeline came during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
India and Namibia met in Delhi during the group stage.
India entered the tournament as defending champions and had already won their opening match against the USA.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and chose to field.
India responded with an aggressive batting performance.
Ishan Kishan’s Explosive 61
Ishan Kishan played one of the key innings of India’s 2026 campaign.
He scored 61 runs from only 24 balls.
His innings included six fours and five sixes.
Kishan formed an important partnership with Tilak Varma, helping India reach 120/2 after 10 overs.
The aggressive start gave India the platform to target a total above 200.
Hardik Pandya Adds Another Fifty
Hardik Pandya then continued the attack.
He scored 52 from 28 balls, adding another rapid half-century to India’s innings.
Pandya and Shivam Dube put together an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
India eventually finished on 209/9 from their 20 overs.
Gerhard Erasmus was Namibia’s most successful bowler, taking 4/20.
The total gave India a substantial advantage, but Namibia made a strong start to their chase.
Namibia’s Fast Start
Namibia did not simply surrender after India’s huge total.
Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp attacked the Indian bowling early.
Namibia reached 57/1 at the end of the Powerplay, their highest Powerplay score in T20 World Cup history at that point.
Steenkamp and the Namibian batters showed that the team could challenge India’s bowlers when they were able to maintain the required scoring rate.
For a period, Namibia appeared capable of making the chase competitive.
Varun Chakaravarthy Changes the Match
The momentum changed when Varun Chakaravarthy entered the attack.
He struck with his very first delivery, dismissing Steenkamp.
Chakaravarthy then removed Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and JJ Smit in quick succession.
His spell disrupted Namibia’s middle order and prevented the chase from developing into a sustained challenge.
The Indian spin attack continued to apply pressure.
Axar Patel also took important wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah contributed with a spectacular catch and then a trademark yorker.
India Win by 93 Runs
Namibia were eventually bowled out for 116.
India therefore won by 93 runs.
The victory was considerably smaller than India’s 181-run win over Namibia in 2003, but it was still a comprehensive result.
ICC reported that the victory extended India’s winning streak at the 2026 T20 World Cup to 10 matches at that stage, a record run in the tournament.
India’s 209/9 and Namibia’s 116 also demonstrated the difference between the sides while highlighting Namibia’s promising start with the bat.
India vs Namibia: Key Matches
2003 Cricket World Cup
India won by 181 runs.
India: Dominant batting performance led by Sachin Tendulkar’s 152 and Sourav Ganguly’s 112.
Namibia: Bowled out for 130.
This remains one of the biggest victories in the history of the matchup.
2026 T20 World Cup
India won by 93 runs.
India: 209/9.
Namibia: 116 all out.
Key Indian performers: Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Kishan scored 61 from 24 balls, Pandya made 52 from 28 and Chakaravarthy took three wickets.
2026 Warm-Up Match
India A defeated Namibia by 130 runs.
India A scored 197 before bowling Namibia out for 67.
Riyan Parag’s 69 and a strong bowling display helped India A dominate the practice match.
India vs Namibia Head-to-Head
The senior men’s international head-to-head between India and Namibia has been extremely limited.
Their most notable official men’s meetings have come in Cricket World Cups.
India won their 2003 World Cup encounter by 181 runs and their 2026 T20 World Cup match by 93 runs.
Therefore, India have won both of the senior men’s World Cup meetings between the teams.
The limited number of matches means that this is not a traditional bilateral rivalry. Instead, India vs Namibia has largely been a tournament-based matchup.
India’s Biggest Batting Performances Against Namibia
Several Indian batting performances stand out from the team’s matches against Namibia.
Sachin Tendulkar — 152
Tendulkar’s 152 in 2003 remains the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the senior men’s India-Namibia matchup.
His partnership with Ganguly completely changed the game and helped India post a huge total.
Sourav Ganguly — 112
Ganguly’s century was equally important during the 2003 World Cup.
His 112 combined with Tendulkar’s 152 to produce a 244-run second-wicket partnership.
Ishan Kishan — 61
In the 2026 T20 World Cup, Kishan produced the most explosive Indian innings against Namibia in terms of scoring rate.
He made 61 from only 24 balls, including six fours and five sixes.
Hardik Pandya — 52
Pandya’s 52 from 28 balls provided another major contribution in the 2026 match.
His partnership with Shivam Dube helped India cross the 200-run mark.
Namibia’s Notable Performers Against India
Namibia have had fewer opportunities against India, but several players have produced useful performances.
In the 2026 T20 World Cup match, captain Gerhard Erasmus was Namibia’s standout bowler.
He took 4/20, including the wickets of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel.
Namibia also made a strong start to their 2026 chase through Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp.
Their early aggression produced 57/1 in the Powerplay before India’s spinners turned the game around.
How the Rivalry Has Developed
Unlike India’s traditional rivalries, the India-Namibia matchup has not been built through decades of bilateral Test and ODI series.
Instead, its history reflects the development of Namibia as an international limited-overs team.
The 2003 World Cup meeting occurred when Namibia were still establishing themselves on the global stage.
By 2026, Namibia had developed into a competitive associate side capable of qualifying for major ICC events and challenging established teams during portions of matches.
The 2026 T20 World Cup encounter showed that development.
Namibia scored quickly during the Powerplay and briefly put India’s bowlers under pressure. India ultimately used their greater depth and experience to take control.
India National Cricket Team Vs Namibia National Cricket Team Timeline: Conclusion
The India National Cricket Team Vs Namibia National Cricket Team Timeline is short but memorable.
The story began at the 2003 Cricket World Cup, when India produced a dominant 181-run victory. The match became particularly famous because Sachin Tendulkar scored 152 and Sourav Ganguly made 112, combining for a 244-run partnership.
More than two decades later, the teams met again at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
India scored 209/9, powered by Ishan Kishan’s 61 and Hardik Pandya’s 52. Namibia made an energetic start to their chase but eventually collapsed to 116 as Varun Chakaravarthy and India’s bowling attack took control.
India won by 93 runs.
The two teams also met in a 2026 World Cup warm-up match, where India A won by 130 runs.
As of September 2026, India and Namibia have therefore produced only a small number of major senior men’s international meetings. Nevertheless, the matches have created memorable moments involving some of India’s greatest players, including Tendulkar and Ganguly, while Namibia’s continued growth has made future encounters increasingly interesting.
FAQs
When did India and Namibia first play each other?
India and Namibia first met in a major senior men’s international at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Who won the first India vs Namibia match?
India won the 2003 World Cup match by 181 runs.
Who scored 152 against Namibia for India?
Sachin Tendulkar scored 152 against Namibia during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. It was his only century in that edition of the World Cup.
Who scored a century for India against Namibia in 2003?
Both Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly scored centuries. Tendulkar made 152 and Ganguly scored 112.
What was India’s biggest victory over Namibia?
India’s biggest senior men’s victory over Namibia came in the 2003 World Cup, when India won by 181 runs.
When did India last play Namibia?
India last played Namibia in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. India won the match by 93 runs.
Who won India vs Namibia in the 2026 T20 World Cup?
India defeated Namibia by 93 runs in Delhi.
How many runs did Ishan Kishan score against Namibia in 2026?
Ishan Kishan scored 61 runs from 24 balls, including six fours and five sixes.
How many runs did Hardik Pandya score against Namibia in 2026?
Hardik Pandya scored 52 runs from 28 balls and also took two wickets in India’s 93-run victory.
How many wickets did Varun Chakaravarthy take against Namibia?
Varun Chakaravarthy took three wickets during Namibia’s innings in the 2026 T20 World Cup match.
Did India and Namibia play a warm-up match in 2026?
Yes. India A played Namibia in a 2026 T20 World Cup warm-up match and won by 130 runs. India A scored 197 and Namibia were bowled out for 67.
Is India vs Namibia a regular cricket rivalry?
Not in the same way as India’s long-running rivalries with teams such as Australia, England or Pakistan. India and Namibia have played relatively few senior men’s internationals, with their notable meetings primarily taking place at ICC tournaments.
What is the highest individual score in India vs Namibia matches?
Sachin Tendulkar’s 152 in the 2003 World Cup is the standout individual score in the senior men’s matchup.
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