Abhishek Sharma had a nightmarish start to T20 World Cup 2026 as he fell for a golden duck to Ali Khan in the India-USA fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday (February 7). However, the failure is hardly anything to worry about, given Abhishek's unprecedented stats in T20Is. He is currently the top-ranked T20I batter in the ICC rankings and has a dominant lead over the others in the list.
The problem, though, is about Abhishek's fitness. The southpaw was allegedly suffering from high fever which refused to come down even on matchday. Abhishek could have been rested, given that they were playing a relatively weaker opponent in USA although T20 cricket can be unpredictable. Nevertheless, Abhishek decided to face the heat, literally and figuratively by playing the game.
Abhishek was surprisingly missing during India's bowling and Sanju Samson was on as the subsitute fielder. Reports came later that Abhishek had a stomach upset and this along with the high fever meant that taking rest was the only option. The 25-year-old is a priceless commodity of this Indian batting line-up and expect the think tank to handle him with utmost care.
India have a four-day break before their next fixture against Namibia in Delhi on February 12. Considering that Abhishek is a naturally fit athlete, this break should be enough for him to overcome fever and a bad stomach. However, if the fever symptoms don't wear down over the next few days, the think tank might think of resting Abhishek for this clash.
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Remember, India have to travel to Colombo on February 15 regardless of whether Pakistan maintain their boycott stance or not. For the forfeit/walkover to be applicable, one of the teams has to be present at the venue. India would want Abhishek in peak health for that fixture, should Pakistan make a U-turn at the fag end.
For now, Abhishek's medical condition doesn't seem to be serious enough to warrant a rest for the Namibia fixture but he is being monitored on a daily basis. More clarity will come a day or two before matchday.