Abhishek Sharma, who missed India’s T20 World Cup Group A match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, is facing a touch-and-go situation for the next marquee game against Pakistan on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The left-handed batter might have been discharged from the hospital, but it’s not known whether he would be able to play the fixture against Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan. Ahead of the game against Namibia, Abhishek was hospitalised due to a stomach infection.
The 25-year-old complained of high fever and stomach pain and hence had to be hospitalised. He was discharged on Wednesday but did not turn up for the practice session. Ahead of the match against Namibia, Abhishek was spotted at the venue; however, he did not train.
According to news agency PTI, Abhishek is still feeling a bit weak, and his participation in the match against Pakistan is in doubt. The swashbuckling India opener has lost a bit of weight, and in case of stomach infections, one generally takes time to recover and gain the strength and endurance to play top-level games.
Abhishek’s participation in the match against Pakistan would depend on the training sessions in Colombo. According to PTI, if he manages to bat for a long duration, just like he normally does during routine nets, then he might be considered to start in the playing XI.
Normally, Abhishek takes multiple turns at bat, and in a session lasting three hours, he bats for anywhere between 75 and 90 minutes.
What did Suryakumar say about Abhishek Sharma?
At the toss for the match against Namibia, Suryakumar Yadav gave an update on Abhishek, saying he is yet to fully recover and might take one or two games to reach full fitness.
“Abhishek isn’t fine still, might take one or two games,” said the Indian captain as he dropped enough hints that Abhishek could be a doubtful starter for the Pakistan game.
Earlier, Abhishek entered the game against the USA not 100 per cent, and his health deteriorated during the game. He was dismissed for a first-ball duck; however, he didn’t take the field for the remainder of the game, and Sanju Samson fielded in his place as a substitute.
Speaking of India, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team registered their second win of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday after beating Namibia by 93 runs. The hosts posted 209/9 in 20 overs owing to half-centuries by Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan.
Varun Chakaravarthy then returned with three wickets while Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya took two each to help India bundle out Namibia for 116.