India post 209/9 after Ishan, Pandya fifties

Opener Ishan Kishan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya struck belligerent half-centuries to power India to 209 for nine against Namibia in their T20 World Cup match here on Thursday. Ishan blazed away to a blistering 24-ball 61, while Pandya smashed 52 off 28 balls while sharing a partnership of 81 runs for the fifth wicket with Shivam Dube (23 off 16 balls). Asked to bat first, India crossed 100 in the seventh over with Ishan looking in imperious touch while reaching his 50 in just 20 balls. Namibia enjoyed a bit of a comeback of sorts after that before India stepped on the accelerator, with Pandya leading the charge in the company of Dube. India, however, lost five wickets for just four runs towards the end after they were going strong at 199 for four at the start of the 19th over. Using plenty of variations, Nambia skipper Gerhard Erasmus returned excellent figures of 4/20 from his full quota of four overs. Brief scores: India: 209/9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 61, Hardik Pandya 52; Gerhard Erasmus 4/20).