Big Blow for India as Key Batsman Likely to Miss Next T20 World Cup Clash

ByAnupam Pandey,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 4:53 PM

India will be playing its second T20 World Cup clash against Namibia tomorrow. But for this game, the team might have some changes in their line-up. Star batsman, Abhishek Sharma might be missing out this game, as he is confirmed to have health issues.

The hosts of the T20 World Cup are preparing themselves for the next clash against Namibia. While India will be facing an associate team, they would not want to take any risk. Just a few days before the clash against Namibia, the Indian captain was present in a press conference.

He talked about the team's environment as of now, after a positive start against the USA. Along with that, Suryakumar Yadav also talked about the probable changes which could happen in the next game. One of them comes as good news for the fans while the other may even cause a challenge to the Indian team.

Indian Squad Updates

The squad updates regarding the next game against Namibia involves three players. Let's first take a look at the bad news for the Indian team.

Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma, the star batsman, is currently facing health issues. Due to this reason, he also did not take the field in the practice sessions at Delhi. Ryan ten Doeschate, India's assistant coach, confirmed the same, as he said that Abhishek Sharma is facing issues with his stomach.

He also did not get a good start to his T20 World Cup journey. Sharma was dismissed for a golden duck on his T20 World Cup debut game against the USA. And now, he will likely miss out for the upcoming match against Namibia.

Washington Sundar

During the New Zealand tour of India, Washington Sundar suffered an injury in the ODI series. He was diagnosed with a side strain and a mild rib fracture. Immediately, he was ruled out of the remainder of the series and spent time for his recovery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

Now, Washington Sundar has joined the team back for the next game against Namibia. He will now be available for selection for the upcoming match, and it comes at an important time. With his all-round skills, the Indian team would benefit a lot in the upcoming games.

Jasprit Bumrah

A news which could bring happiness among all the Indian fans is that Jasprit Bumrah has been declared fit. He did not play for the team in the first game, as Siraj and Arshdeep Singh took the lead with the ball. But now, Bumrah is back and he has started his practice sessions, bowling at his full potential.

With Jasprit Bumrah being fit, it comes as a big positive to the Indian team. He was also seen in the practice sessions, with several photos of the same also being captured by the fans. It would be intense to see how the Player of the Tournament for the previous edition will be performing in the current edition.

Opportunity for Sanju Samson

One man's loss is another man's opportunity. With Abhishek Sharma likely to miss out on the next game against Namibia, the Indian team will have to bring in their back-up opener. And it is none other than Sanju Samson. While his form has been in question for a long time, Samson still remains a part of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.

When the reports of Abhishek's health issues came out, it was clear that Samson will be getting his chance to play the T20 World Cup. He missed out on the game against the USA, as his opening spot has now been taken over by Ishan Kishan. Now, he was also seen practicing with Kishan in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, where India will be playing its next game.

Samson's T20I Struggles

Recently, Sanju Samson has not been able to do well in the T20I format. His troubles grew even more when he failed to score runs for the team in the series against New Zealand. With Samson getting low scores in all five games of the series, the Indian selectors had no choice rather than dropping him from the playing XI.

Sanju Samson's in T20Is Since 2025:

Innings: 16
Not Out: 0
Runs: 268
Average: 16.75
Strike Rate: 128.22
100s: 0
50s: 1

And now a potential return could be his final chance to prove his worth as an opener. Ever since the series against South Africa where he notched up two centuries, he has not been able to perform well for the team. Even in his last 15 T20I innings, his scores have barely touched the 50 mark.