Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that star opener Abhishek Sharma will play in India’s upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan national cricket team. The Group-stage encounter is set to take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, February 15.
The top-ranked T20I batter had missed India’s recent 93-run victory over Namibia national cricket team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium due to a stomach infection. He was briefly admitted to hospital but later recovered and travelled to Sri Lanka with the squad.
During his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson moved up to open the innings. However, Suryakumar confirmed that Abhishek will reclaim his place in the playing XI after regaining full fitness. He also referenced a comment previously made by Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha during the pre-match press conference.
“I really hope he (Abhishek) will play tomorrow. He is a good player, and we want to play against the best team they have. Really hope he’s recovering well and can play,” the Pakistan captain had said.
“If Salman wants us to play Abhishek tomorrow, we shall play him,” Suryakumar Yadav said during the pre-match press conference in Colombo (via NDTV).
“Pressure Is Always There”: Suryakumar Yadav On IND vs PAK Clash
The Indian skipper acknowledged that some nervousness is expected before such a big match, adding that it is completely natural given the long-standing rivalry and the limited number of occasions on which the two sides meet.
“There’s always pressure. With India -Pakistan it’s more of an occasion. No matter how much we say ‘It’s just any other game’, but it’s a human tendency to be under pressure because it is not any other game. We don’t play them often either. So the pressure is always there,” Suryakumar Yadav said (via RevSportz)
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