T20 WC: Abhishek Sharma hospitalised, Sanju Samson may open vs Namibia

India's destructive opener Abhishek Sharma has been hospitalised due to a stomach infection, making him a doubtful starter for the T20 World Cup match against Namibia. Sanju Samson is being considered to open the innings in his place.

Abhishek Sharma Hospitalised, Doubtful for Namibia Clash

India's destructive opener batter Abhishek Sharma is not well and is currently hospitalised due to a stomach infection, according to a BCCI source.

Sharma was not looking well during the team dinner at the head coach Gautam Gambhir's residence on Sunday and was the first to leave the dinner. According to the source, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side may give a green signal to Sanju Samson to open the innings with Ishan Kishan tomorrow if the ICC World no. 1 T20I batsman does not recover in time.

Samson Considered Despite Poor Form

Samson struggled with the form and scored 10, 6, 0, 24, and 6 during the recently concluded T20I bilateral series against New Zealand.

Coach Hopeful for Sharma's Recovery

Earlier on Tuesday, during a press conference in Delhi, the Indian team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided updates on key players, including Jasprit Bumrah's fitness and Abhishek Sharma's health. "As for Abhishek, he's dealing with a tummy issue, but we are hopeful that he'll be fit in time for the match against Namibia," Doeschate had revealed.

India's T20 World Cup Schedule

India is set to clash with Namibia in Group A on Thursday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. In their first Group A fixture, the Indian team defeated the USA by 29 runs, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav remaining unbeaten on 84 from 49 balls. Men in Blue are in Delhi and will play Namibia on February 12. They are then scheduled to play the much-anticipated World Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15, before travelling to Ahmedabad for their final group-stage clash against the Netherlands on February 18.

Team India T20 World Cup 2026 Squad

Team India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh. (ANI)

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