Abhishek’s tournament so far has been challenging. He made his World Cup debut against USA, walking back for a golden duck after attempting a big shot at deep cover. He did not bat during India’s 161-run innings and was hospitalised with illness, causing him to miss India’s 93-run victory over Namibia.
Speaking after the win, Chakravarthy offered a positive update: “I think he will play the next match. I don’t know. As far as I have spoken to him, he looks good. He did some practice today. He said he is on the way.”
Earlier, India captain Suryakumar Yadav had suggested that Abhishek “will take a game or two,” leaving some uncertainty over his participation against Pakistan. In Abhishek’s absence, Sanju Samson opened the innings alongside Ishan Kishan, racing to 22 off eight balls with three sixes before falling to deep midwicket.
Abhishek’s absence adds to India’s list of availability concerns in the tournament. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah missed the opener against the USA with a fever but returned in Delhi. Spin all-rounder Washington Sundar has also been sidelined due to a side strain. While Sundar is behind Kuldeep Yadav in the pecking order, he could feature against Pakistan on the spin-friendly Colombo surface.
