Flamboyant India opener Abhishek Sharma was left out of the playing XI for the clash against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. He had been battling a viral fever during the previous game against the USA but still chose to play. After arriving in Delhi, his condition worsened and he was diagnosed with a stomach infection, which led to him being admitted in the hospital. He was discharged following medical examinations.
At the toss, captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that Abhishek is recovering but will need time to regain full match fitness. Although he travelled to the stadium with the squad, he did not train and was only seen walking around the ground. The skipper also hinted that the opener could miss the upcoming clash against Pakistan, suggesting he may require one or two more matchdays to return.
“Abhishek is still not fine, he will miss a game or two. Sanju comes in, similar batter, explosive. Bumrah comes in for Siraj,” Suryakumar said after the toss.
BCCI also shared an update on the India opener. They informed that the medical team is currently monitoring Abhishek’s health. “Abhishek Sharma is still recovering from his illness and was unavailable for selection. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his progress,” BCCI tweeted.
Namibia opt to bowl first
Namibia have won the toss and elected to bowl first. India were happy to bat first as Suryakumar revealed that they would have done the same if the Men in Blue had won the toss.
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Namibia (Playing XI): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Malan Kruger, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo
Also Read:
