India’S(oura)victory over Namibia is massive

India made no changes to their playing eleven. They were playing Namibia for the first – and, so far, only – time. (De)On winning the toss, Kotze, Namibia’s skipper, put India in.

Virender Sehwag scored a run-a-ball 24, including four boundaries. Forty-seven balls into the match, he was caught by Danie Keulder. His (Ru)dismissal was just what the doctor (van Vuuren, who broke the 46-run stand) ordered.

Tendulkar, the player of the match, scored 152. His 152-ball inningS(ach)included 18 boundaries. Van Vuuren broke the 239-ball stand, which was worth 244.

His innings was the highest at this venue, eclipsing Marvan Atapattu's unbeaten 69 against Bangladesh (also in 2002/03). It was also his highest score in the World Cup. His previous best was his unbeaten 140 against the Kenyans at Bristol in 1999.

Sourav Ganguly, India’s skipper, scored 112. His 119-ball innings included six boundaries and four sixes. He was unbeaten. He reached the 500-run mark in World Cups when he scored 80. Yuvraj Singh, who was in seventh heaven, because his run-a-ball innings included a boundary. He was unbeaten.

Namibia conceded 16 extras. India scored 311 for the loss of a couple of wickets off 50 overs. Their total was the highest innings total at this venue. The previous highest was Sri Lanka’s 126 for no loss against Bangladesh (also in 2002/03).

Louis Burger and (Burt)One-day International debutant van Rooi bowled six wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 49, the latter conceded 36.

The Kotze brothers were wicketless. While Deon, who bowled eight overs, conceded 50, Bjorn, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 64. Gerrie Snyman, who bowled 10 wicketless overs, conceded 57. Van Vuuren bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 53, picking up both the wickets that fell.

Stefan Swanepoel, whose 21-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. Thirty-two balls into the chase, Zaheer Khan trapped him leg before wicket, breaking the 19-run stand. Louis, who faced a dozen balls, did not open his account. Fourteen balls later, Khan trapped him leg before, breaking the second-wicket stand, which was worth just a couple.

Keulder, who faced 19 balls, scored four. Thirty-one balls later, he was caught by Dinesh Mongia. Harbhajan Singh broke the 22-run stand. Jan-Berrie Burger – unrelated to Louis – faced 30 balls, scoring 29. His innings included four boundaries and a six. Four balls later, Mongia broke the run-a-ball stand.

Gavin Murgatroyd, who faced six balls, did not open his account. Nine dot balls later, Harbhajan trapped him leg before wicket. Kotz, whose 50-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored 27. Seventeen balls later, Mongia broke the 51-run stand with a catch off his own bowling.

Melt van Schoor, whose 61-ball innings included a boundary, scored 24. Eight balls later, he was caught by Rahul Dravid. Yuvraj broke the one-run stand.

Van Rooi, whose 31-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 17. Forty-three balls later, he was caught by Mongia. Yuvraj broke the 25-run stand. Bjorn, who faced 18 balls, scored three. Three dot balls later, he was caught by Dravid off Yuvraj’s bowling.

Snyman, whose six-ball innings included a boundary, scored five. Nine balls later, he was caught by Javagal Srinath. Yuvraj broke the six-run partnership. van Vuuren, who faced four balls, did not open his account. He was unbeaten.

India conceded a dozen extras. Namibia, who were bundled out for 130 off 42.3 overs, lost by 181 runs. Ashish Nehra bowled a wicketless dot ball. Sehwag, who bowled four overs, conceded 16. He was wicketless, as was Srinath, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceding 25.

Khan, who bowled 7.5 overs, conceded 24. He picked up two wickets, as did Harbhajan and Mongia, who bowled 10 overs, including a maiden, apiece. While the former conceded 34, the latter conceded 24. Yuvraj, whose 4.3 overs included a couple of maidens. He conceded half-a-dozen, picking up four scalps.