India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026 Predicted Playing 11: Sanju Samson is set to replace Abhishek Sharma in India’s second Group A match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Updated: February 12, 2026 9:22 AM IST
India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026: Defending champions Team India have a major headache with world No. 1 T20I batter all set to miss their second Group A match against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. Abhishek has only been discharged from the private hospital in the Capital on Wednesday and was not part of any of the training sessions after India’s opening match against USA last week.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad batter is suffering from a severe stomach infection which led to fever and admission in hospital as well. “When we reached Delhi, he went for some examinations at the hospital. I think he has been discharged today, and he’s doing well. We still have one more day before the game, so hopefully we’ll decide by tomorrow how he feels and then move forward accordingly,” Team India batter Tilak Varma said about Abhishek Sharma on Wednesday.
With Abhishek ruled out, Sanju Samson is set to make a comeback into the playing 11. When the T20 World Cup squad was selected, Samson was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper and opener but in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Ishan Kishan snatched away that position with his maiden century and a fifty in the series.
Since 2025, Samson has only managed to score 268 runs in 16 innings in T20I cricket at an average of just 16.75 and a strike-rate of 128.22. “Look, at this level, you need to be honest and transparent. And the way the cards have fallen, Sanju’s had all the support that he could possibly have had. He went through that phase where we tried him in the middle order, and then he obviously had the reprieve where he came back,” India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said about Sanju Samson this week in New Delhi.
“Unfortunately with the high level of cricket that these guys play, when someone like Ishan comes in and has a series like he has, it’s pretty obvious what the selection is going to be for that first game. It’s just getting Sanju feeling well within himself again, understanding where he fits into the scheme of things now: A, as an injury replacement, B, as a form replacement. You’re not going to have any hassles with Sanju – solid guy, he’s good around the group, he’s training well, he’s a good vibe around the group, and that’s what we expect from everyone in the team,” Ten Doeschate added.
Abhishek’s opening partner Ishan Kishan was in some trouble in the nets as well. He got hit with a brutal yorker from Jasprit Bumrah at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Wednesday’s net session and was seen in tremendous pain and limping around. However, he managed to continue his batting session after some attention from the team doctor.
In the nets, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a delivery to Ishan Kishan that struck his foot very hard. The ball hit him with such force that Ishan fell to the ground in pain and was clearly struggling.
Bumrah seems to have a different intensity and ego while bowling, which is… pic.twitter.com/CwiFB5l0UL
— ⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) February 11, 2026
If Ishan doesn’t manage to stay fit, the team management could bring in all-rounder Washington Sundar as a stop-gap opener for the clash against Namibia. Sundar joined the Indian team in New Delhi after missing the opening game and the New Zealand T20I series due to side strain.
Jasprit Bumrah set to return
Bumrah, meanwhile, looked fit and raring to go in the nets in New Delhi. The Indian bowling spearhead was back on the field after more than 10 days after recovering from viral fever which forced him to miss the match against USA. If Bumrah comes into the playing 11, then Mohammed Siraj will likely have to make way.
“He is absolutely fine now. He’s doing better. 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, and I think he could be back for the second game,” Tilak Varma said about Bumrah.
Meanwhile, Namibia may think about bringing in experienced Ben Shikongo to replace 17-year-old pacer Max Heingo, who had proved to be expensive against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
India vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match Predicted 11
India: Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy
Namibia: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo
For all latest updates of T20 World Cup 2026 you can visit: https://www.india.com/icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026/<!–</–>
Also Read:
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: india.com
