India, Feb. 12 -- Abhishek Sharma, the swashbuckling opening batter, will miss the T20 World Cup 2026 match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The left-handed batter from Punjab was not named in the playing XI on Thursday, and this was confirmed by Suryakumar Yadav, the India captain at the toss. The 25-year-old was hospitalised on the eve of the game due to a stomach infection. He was discharged on Wednesday afternoon; however, he did not attend the training sessions.

Considering a high-profile match against Pakistan is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo, the management decided not to risk Abhishek and give him time to recover for the marquee Group A encounter set to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium. In plac...