New Delhi: It’s only their second fixture and India’s T20 World Cup campaign has only just begun to gather pace but injuries and illnesses are disrupting their rhythm.
Ahead of the tournament, Washington Sundar and Tilak Verma were injured. A couple of days before their opening fixture, Harshit Rana was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. Jasprit Bumrah’s absence in the first match due to illness added to that anxiety. Now, Abhishek Sharma’s hospital visit due to a stomach infection in Delhi has added fresh uncertainty.
Providing an update on Abhishek, Tilak Verma said the opener is recovering after undergoing medical tests in the capital. The 25-year-old did not attend the practice session on both days ahead of the match and is almost certain to miss the fixture against Namibia.
“When we reached Delhi, he went for some examinations at the hospital. I think he has been discharged today and he’s doing well,” Tilak said. “We still have one more day before the game, so hopefully we’ll decide by tomorrow how he feels and then move forward accordingly.”
With Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson turning up for practice on both days, it seems likely that they will be the opening duo in Delhi.
There was also more certainty around Bumrah’s situation. The pace-bowling spearhead, who sat out the opening game, appears to be on the road to recovery and turned up for practice on both days without any issues.
“He is absolutely fine now. He’s doing better,” Tilak said. “As I said, we still have one more day, so hopefully he’ll be back in the team. If he continues to improve, the team management will take a call. I think he could be back for the second game.”
They faced another minor injury scare when Kishan was hit by a toe-crushing yorker from Bumrah just half an hour into the nets. He seemed to be hobbling for a fair bit before returning to practice. He spent a few more minutes in the nets before calling it a day.
An eye on Pakistan
For a side eyeing rhythm in a global tournament, the series of niggles has complicated preparations. Yet, the focus within the group remains firmly on the immediate task against Namibia before attention fully shifts to the high-voltage clash against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15.
Tilak admitted that the confirmation of the India-Pakistan fixture has added an extra layer of excitement within the camp, “To be honest, we’re actually excited to play now. We found out that the match is going to happen and we were already preparing for it,” he said.
“We’ve been watching the opposition, studying their bowlers and preparing as batsmen. When we heard the match would be played, all the players and staff were excited. We’re in match mode now, and the planning has started.”
With Pakistan’s spinners enjoying a good run in their wins against Netherlands and USA, India have already begun their homework.
“We’re taking it one match at a time but we’ll use video analysis and technology to study their bowlers and the conditions,” Tilak said. “We have all kinds of shots in our team, so depending on the wicket and the situation, we’ll decide whether to attack or play accordingly. We’ll pick the best team for the conditions and go from there.”
For now, though, India’s immediate challenge is to navigate the fitness cloud and build stability before the tournament’s biggest contest comes into view.
