Kamal Ghorui
Abhishek Sharma has been hospitalised due to a stomach infection and remains doubtful for India’s next match against Namibia in New Delhi. It has been reliably learnt that he was unwell even before the previous game against the USA, and his condition worsened after he took the field in the T20 World Cup opener on February 7. The youngster was running a high temperature in Mumbai and was administered drips for immediate relief.The left-hander skipped the team’s first training session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. While “upset stomach” is the official word from the Indian camp, TimesofIndia.com has learnt that he is suffering from an infection.
“Abhi (Abhishek) still has a few issues with his tummy. We are hopeful that he’ll be available for the game in two days’ time,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said during a media interaction on Tuesday.After being dismissed for a golden duck in the tournament opener, the aggressive southpaw did not come out to field and was not spotted in the team dugout or dressing room. Sanju Samson fielded for the entire innings, forcing fielding coach T Dilip to wear the bib and handle drinks duties along with Kuldeep Yadav.This was because Washington Sundar had not yet joined the squad, while Jasprit Bumrah was also unwell. Although Bumrah made a brief appearance during one of the drinks breaks, the responsibilities were largely shared between Kuldeep and Dilip. Abhishek did not even come out for the post-match handshakes.Although he travelled with the team to Delhi, his condition deteriorated over the last 24 hours. Abhishek was seen with the rest of the squad outside head coach Gautam Gambhir’s residence on February 8, but all was not well. Towards the latter part of the innings, Gambhir appeared visibly concerned when Abhishek was dismissed. “Aaram se, jaldi khaa liyo (take it easy, eat early),” was the Indian coach’s brief advice to the youngster.In Abhishek’s absence during the practice session, Sanju Samson was the first batter to take to the nets and looked uncomfortable while facing Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh. The wicketkeeper-batter appeared low on confidence and had a scratchy session before receiving extended treatment on his left arm.“We’re waiting on Abhi’s fitness more than anything, and that will again open up a few different combinations,” ten Doeschate said while discussing possible Playing XI options.Wednesday’s net session and the pre-match press conference are expected to provide greater clarity on Abhishek’s fitness and recovery timeline.
