India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2026: Abhishek Sharma in doubt for marquee clash

Two days remain for the most hyped game of T20 World Cup 2026 - India vs Pakistan. The weeks of controversies leading up to this game can be a movie in itself but now that the fixture is confirmed, expect a lot of thrills and entertainment on February 15 in Colombo. While India start the game as favourites, they might be without Abhishek Sharma for this clash as well.

Abhishek missed the Namibia game due to high fever and he was even hospitalized in Delhi but then got discharged as well. However, it appears as if the left-hander hasn't recovered as the required pace so far to make it for the India-Pakistan clash. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav mentioned at the toss for the Namibia game that Abhishek could miss another game or two.

Being the top-ranked batter in T20Is, Abhishek is understandably the main focus for this marquee clash. So, his absence could be a massive boost for Pakistan, especially with a potentially slow surface in the offing at Colombo. On sluggish tracks, PowerPlays become extremely important and Abhishek has a phenomenal record during this phase with 50 sixes already in the first six overs of T20Is.

Abhishek's potential absence means another game for Sanju Samson who looked good for his brief knock against Namibia but couldn't convert the start into a big score. The Kerala batter would have been desperate to go big against Namibia, but perished after striking some delightful strokes in his eight-ball 22.

India could be tempted to bring in Kuldeep Yadav as an extra spin option to exploit the Colombo conditions. As for the batting department, Ishan Kishan should slot in with Samson as the opening pair, if Abhishek fails to get fit in time. This will be a strong test for the Indian batting line-up and it shall be interesting to see how they fare in the Punjab man's absence.