Who will replace Abhishek Sharma if he doesn't play IND vs NAM clash?

Abhishek Sharma is recovering from a stomach issue.

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma is recovering from a stomach issue and might miss the next game against Namibia in T20 World Cup 2026. Both sides will clash on February 12 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

The left-handed batsman bagged a golden duck in the previous game against USA on February 7 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He did not take the field in the second innings due to issues with his stomach.

The Men-in-Blue commenced their training at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, February 10. However, Sharma missed the training session as he has not completely regained his fitness. Various reports suggested that the left-hander has been admitted to hospital in Delhi, and will miss the next encounter against Namibia.

Notably, Abhishek has been a key opener for India over the last two years. He also played a vital role in India’s victory in the Asia Cup last year, where he won the Player of the Tournament award for finishing as the leading run-scorer.

In the T20I series against New Zealand last month, he scored two half-centuries across five matches. Batting at a strike rate of almost 249+ and averaging 53, he piled up 182 runs. Hence, his absence in the next game would be a big blow for Suryakumar Yadav & Co.

Who would replace Abhishek Sharma as opener if he is absent from next game against Namibia?

Abhishek and Ishan Kishan are the two first-choice openers for India in T20 World Cup 2026. If Abhishek fails to regain his fitness ahead of the IND vs NAM match, India will have to go ahead with Sanju Samson as an opener. The right-hander, who was first-choice opener before the tournament, is only other top-order batter in the squad.

Samson also opened the batting with Abhishek in the recent T20I series against Black Caps. However, he flopped in the entire series, which resulted in his omission from XI for T20 World Cup 2026. Samson slammed just 46 runs and also faced a lot of criticism.

As a result, Kishan replaced Samson as an opener as well as a wicket-keeper ahead of T20 World Cup 2026. He impressed with his batting show in the New Zealand series, winning Player of the Match in two games out of four. He also hammered his maiden T20I century in the series.

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