World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma missed India’s second Group A match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday (February 12) in Delhi against Namibia due to a stomach bug. But despite that, the 25-year-old left-handed batter from Amritsar has travelled to Colombo with the Indian team for their third Group A match.
World No. 1 T20I team India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their third Group A match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday (February 15).
According to a news report in PTI, Abhishek’s participation in the high-voltage match against Pakistan will depend on his recovery from the stomach bug.
It has been reported that the Men in Blue will have a net session in Colombo on Saturday evening, and Abhishek’s fitness will be monitored
closely during that before taking a final call on his participation in the India-Pakistan match.
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In Abhishek’s absence, Sanju Samson opened the innings for India against Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday and scored 22 runs from just 8 balls. He is likely to retain his position as an opener in Abhishek’s absence.
There is also a possibility of Washington Sundar’s inclusion in India’s playing XI as an opener if Abhishek misses out. Sundar’s addition will add depth to India’s spin bowling.
Rain threat on India-Pakistan match
India will face Pakistan in their third Group A match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday in Colombo. But according to Colombo’s weather forecast for Sunday, there are high chances of rain playing spoilsport during the match at R. Premadasa Stadium.
“A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeastern Bay of Bengal around 15th February,” read a report from the Department of Meteorology, Sri Lanka, on Friday.
As per AccuWeather, there is a 93 per cent chance of precipitation on Sunday in Colombo.
If, due to rain in Colombo on Sunday, the India-Pakistan match gets washed out, then both teams will have to settle for one point each, as there is no reserve match for group stage matches.
