T20 World Cup: Abhishek Sharma misses training, Sanju Samson sweats it out in Delhi
India’s star opener Abhishek Sharma is yet to regain full fitness as the team began preparations for its clash against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Abhishek was absent from Tuesday evening’s training session, while Sanju Samson was seen putting in an extended stint in the nets.
India take on Namibia on Thursday evening in New Delhi.
Most members of the Indian squad, including Washington Sundar, who joined the team in Delhi, took part in the training session held under lights in the capital.
Batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate, speaking to the press on Tuesday, confirmed that Abhishek was still dealing with an illness, with which he had played during India’s T20 World Cup opener against the USA in Mumbai on Saturday.
“Abhishek still has a few issues with his stomach, but we’re hopeful he’ll be available for the game in two days’ time,” Doeschate said.
Abhishek featured in the playing XI for India’s opening game but did not take the field during the second innings of that match. He was dismissed for a first-ball duck against a Pakistan-origin pacer.
SAMSON AND ISHAN BAT IN PAIRS
In Abhishek’s absence on Tuesday, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan batted in pairs in one of the two nets used by the Indian team during the session.
Samson was dropped from the XI for India’s opening game against the USA. The wicketkeeper-batter struggled to cement his place, failing to find rhythm during the recently concluded five-match series against New Zealand.
Across five matches, Samson managed 46 runs — including three single-digit scores — the lowest tally by an Indian opener to feature in every game of a five-match bilateral T20I series.
Samson faced a sustained spell from Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and a left-arm local net bowler. However, he appeared slightly scratchy at the start of the session. The lack of crispness in Samson’s batting became more apparent as Ishan was sending the ball soaring into the stands, taking on the likes of Dube and Hardik with authority.
Samson will get a game in Delhi if Abhishek fails to recover completely from illness. India wouldn’t want to rush him back into the XI, considering the long road ahead in the 20-team tournament.
Along with Samson and Ishan, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav also extended sessions in the nets.
Abhishek remains central to India’s plans, having set the template for the Men in Blue’s aggressive approach in the shortest format of the game. The team had a rest day on Monday after arriving in Delhi on Sunday, with the squad attending a team-bonding dinner at head coach Gautam Gambhir’s residence.
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