New Delhi, February 11 The flamboyant Indian opener, Abhishek Sharma, has been hospitalized with a stomach infection, raising doubts about his participation in the T20 World Cup match against Namibia here on Thursday.
Abhishek has been admitted to a private hospital in Delhi for the past two days.
"Abhishek was admitted to a private hospital in Delhi due to a stomach infection. Tests are being conducted to determine the exact cause. It is still unclear whether he will be discharged today. However, his participation in the match against Namibia seems doubtful at this time," a BCCI source said.
Abhishek had scored a duck against the USA in the opening game on Saturday in Mumbai and did not participate further in the game, with Sanju Samson replacing him in the field.
India's priority is not the Namibia match, but the February 15 match against a steadily improving Pakistan team at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where the pitch conditions might be slightly different.
A stomach infection can affect stamina and endurance, and it remains to be seen if Abhishek will be able to travel on Friday, train on Saturday, and play on Sunday.
Samson did bat in the nets on Tuesday and spent a considerable amount of time with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, indicating that the team management is keeping its options open in case Abhishek fails to regain full fitness.
However, the Indian team management is hopeful of having him on the field on February 15.
It has been learnt that the 25-year-old attended dinner at head coach Gautam Gambhir's home here on Sunday, but left much earlier than his teammates.
