India’s star opener Abhishek Sharma is yet to regain full fitness as the team begins preparations for their clash against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Abhishek was absent from Tuesday night’s training while Sanju Samson was seen in an extended stint in the nets.
India will take on Namibia in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
Most of the members of the Indian team, including Washington Sundar, who joined the team in Delhi, took part in the training session held under the lights in the capital.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that Abhishek is still dealing with the ailment he played with in Mumbai on Saturday during the T20 World Cup opener against USA.
“Abhishek still has a few stomach issues but we hope he will be available for the game in two days,” Doeschate said.
Abhishek featured in the playing eleven for India’s opening match but did not take the field during the second innings of that match. He was dismissed for a first ball duck against the Pakistan pacer.
SAMSON AND ISHAN BAT AS A COUPLE
In Abhishek’s absence on Tuesday, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan batted in pairs in one of the two nets used by the Indian team during practice.
Samson faced the sustained spell of Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and the local left-arm bowler. However, he looked slightly scratched at the start of the session. The lack of sharpness in Samson’s bat became more apparent as Ishan sent the ball into the wicket and took on the likes of Dube and Hardik with authority.
Abhishek remains central to India’s plans as he set the template for the Men in Blue’s aggressive approach in the shortest format of the game. After arriving in Delhi on Sunday, the team had a rest day on Monday, with the team attending a joint team dinner at head coach Gautam Gambhir’s residence.
T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup Schedule | T20 World Cup Points Table | T20 World Cup Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 10, 2026