Abhishek Sharma’s availability has become a major talking point ahead of the highly-anticipated India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash in Colombo on Sunday (February 15).
According to reports, the stomach bug and high fever led to Abhishek losing a significant amount of weight in a short period. The left-handed opener has already missed the group-stage clash against Namibia in Delhi on February 12.
Speaking at the toss for Namibia game, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said that Abhishek is “still not fine and will miss a game or two.”
However, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha on Saturday (February 14) said that he wants Abhishek to play, as his team wants to take on the best players.
Notably, the southpaw had proven to be a nemesis for the Pakistani bowlers during the Asia Cup last September, returning with knocks of 31 (13 balls), 74 (39 balls) and 5 (6 balls) in the group-stage, Super 4 and final matches respectively.
Addressing the media, Agha said: “I really hope – we all know he's a good player and I really hope he plays tomorrow because we want to play against the best team they have, and I really hope he is recovering well and can play tomorrow."
When Suryakumar Yadav’s turn came to attend the presser, the Indian captain was told what his Pakistani counterpart had to say about Abhishek. Surya was also asked about Sharma’s fitness update and whether the latter would take the field against the arch-rivals.
“Chalo theek hai. If the Pakistan captain wants us to play him tomorrow, we will do so. Done,” said Suryakumar, in response to the question.
When another question was posed regarding Abhishek, the Indian skipper replied, "Just now someone told me about what the Pakistan captain had to say. So I tell you the same thing, “'Chalo khila denge usko kal (We will make him play tomorrow).”
Mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who rose to prominence through impressive performances in franchise cricket, is being hailed as Pakistan's "X-factor" heading into Sunday’s encounter against India.
While Tariq has troubled the batters in his brief international journey so far, his unorthodox action has become a topic of debate, with many calling him a "blatant chucker."
Tariq’s action has been reported twice, first during PSL 2024 and again in the 2025 season. However, the ICC and PCB have given him clearance.
When asked about Tariq, Suryakumar said, “In every exam, there comes a question which seems out of the syllabus. We don't have the option of leaving that question. You have to try something. Yes, he is a different character, but we cannot surrender. We obviously practice, and we will try to execute our plans.”
“They (Pakistan spinners) have been doing well, obviously, with their bowling line-up and with their combinations. But yeah, we do have some plans to try and tackle them when we play them tomorrow. And we also have a similar kind of setup when we go and play. But I don't know. We have just seen the wicket. It looks good. It looks very good. And we will see what happens tomorrow,” he further remarked.
