India opener Abhishek Sharma’s availability for the high-voltage T20 World Cup group clash against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 remains uncertain despite his discharge from the hospital. The explosive left-hander had been admitted to a Delhi facility after suffering from a stomach infection that led to high fever and severe abdominal discomfort. He stayed under medical supervision for a couple of days.
Although he was released on Wednesday, Abhishek did not take part in India’s training session at the Kotla on Thursday, with the team management opting for caution as he continues to feel weak. According to a PTI report, he has also lost some weight during the illness, and regaining full strength and match fitness after such a serious stomach
infection can take time.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav suggested that the opener may need ‘one or two games’ to fully recover during the toss at Thursday’s match against Namibia, hinting that his participation against Pakistan is not guaranteed.
The report said a lot will depend on his practice session at the R. Premadasa Stadium in the Sri Lankan capital. Typically, Abhishek bats extensively in nets, often for 75 to 90 minutes in a three-hour session. A similar workload would signal that he is ready to return to competitive action.
What if Abhishek Sharma misses out?
It would be a big blow for the Men in Blue. Abhishek is one of the pillars of this team, which has tended to rely on a couple of individual performances over collective effort recently.
He scored a 31 (13) and 74 (39) in the first two of the three matches against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup, giving India enough momentum to win both games. In the final, when he failed, it put India in the most precarious position they had been in all tournament and required a special rescue knock from Tilak Varma.
If Abhishek misses the match — India can afford to rest him, too, after wins over the USA and Namibia — India will likely stick with Sanju Samson, who scored an impactful if brief 22 off 8. But Samson has no experience of playing against Pakistan in any format.
