Former India batsman Parthiv Patel has suggested a left-field option for the opening position in Abhishek Sharma’s absence in India’s World T20 2026 Group A match against Namibia on Thursday.
India face a forced reshuffle at the top of the order. Abhishek will miss Thursday’s encounter due to illnessand the team management is likely to recall Sanju Samson to partner Ishan Kishan at the top.
However, Parthiv feels India could be taking a calculated risk by backing Washington opener Sundar, especially with Sunday’s clash against Pakistan in Colombo in mind. The former stumper claimed that giving Sundar time in the middle could prove valuable if India decide to field three spinners in spin-friendly conditions.
“When you’re thinking about how to prepare your playing XI for Colombo, where the ball turns and stops a bit, why not try to open with Washington Sundar instead of bringing in Sanju Samson?” Parthiv said on Star Sports.
“If Abhishek doesn’t recover in time for the Pakistan match, you will already have an attacking opener who will also give you a spin option. That could be useful against Pakistan.”
So far, India have deployed Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy in a two-point spin attack. But with Sri Lankan pitches offer considerable help to the slow bowlerIndia may be tempted to bolster its spin resources. Complicating matters is the tight turnaround: the team will have just two days – including a travel day – to acclimatise to the conditions at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
WHO WILL OPEN FOR INDIA VS NAMIBIA?
India is also keeping a close eye on Abhishek’s health ahead of the highly anticipated clash against Pakistan on February 15. The left-hander was admitted to a hospital in Delhi after he complained of stomach problems and subsequently missed training sessions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday.
There was a brief injury scare on Wednesday when Ishan Kishan was hit on the left big toe by a Jasprit Bumrah yorker during the nets. However, much to the camp’s relief, Ishan looked untroubled and is expected to be available for selection against Namibia.
Sundar joined the team in Delhi only after missing the opening match in Mumbai. The team management has given him extra time to recover from the rib injury that ruled him out of last year’s T20I series against New Zealand.
He had his first full training session with the World Cup squad on Tuesday, playing a neat spell before showing off his power-hitting ability with a couple of punches into the stands.
Despite Parthiv’s suggestion, Samson is expected to retain the support of the team management. The wicket-keeper batsman was earmarked for India before Shubman Gill was sidelined during the Asia Cup. Samson was also handed the opening role in India’s five-match series against New Zealand, but endured a tough run, scoring just 46 runs in the entire series.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 12, 2026