Abhishek missed India's second Group A match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday (February 12) in Delhi due to a stomach bug.

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha wants the world No. 1 T20I batter to play the high-voltage ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match between India and Pakistan. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will face each other in match No. 27 of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday (February 15) at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Abhishek, who won the Player Of The Tournament award in the Asia Cup 2025, missed India’s second Group A match of the ongoing tournament on Thursday (February 12) in Delhi against Namibia due to a stomach bug. The left-handed batter from Amritsar is yet to be declared fit for the India-Pakistan match, and a call on his participation is expected to be taken closer to the match.

But Pakistan skipper Agha wants Abhishek to play. While speaking to reporters during the pre-match press conference at R. Premadasa Stadium, Agha expressed his desire for Abhishek to play. According to him, the Pakistan team wants to play against the best.

“I hope Abhishek Sharma plays tomorrow. I hope he is recovering well. We want to play against the best", Agha said.

In Abhishek’s absence, Sanju Samson opened the innings for India against Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium and scored 22 runs from 8 balls. If Abhishek fails to recover, then the Kerala-based wicketkeeper-batter is likely to open the innings once again.

Agha on handshake

Agha kept the suspense about shaking hands with Indian players at the toss or after the match but said the game should be played in the spirit in which it is meant to be.

India and Pakistan players have stopped shaking hands with each other since last year’s Asia Cup in Dubai, which was held in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre and the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian Armed Forces.

“We will see about it tomorrow," Agha gave a cryptic response about the possibility of a handshake in the pre-match press conference.

However, Agha was clear in his view that the ‘Spirit of the Game’ should be upheld under any circumstances.

“Cricket should be played in (right) spirit. My personal opinion may not matter. But cricket should be played according to how it has always been meant to be played. It’s up to them to decide what to do," Agha added.

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News cricket Salman Ali Agha 'Wants Abhishek Sharma To Play' India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Match

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