Is Abhishek Sharma Playing Today Match in IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026?

The stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to witness the greatest rivalry of the game between India and Pakistan. This is one of the most anticipated and much-awaited matches of every ICC tournament, and this time it is taking place in R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo, where it is expected to see a high-voltage battle between these two teams, but the pitch here doesn't look like it's going to be the high scoring match.
The toss has been completed between the two captains, Salman Ali Agha and Suryakumar Yadav, and it is the former who won the toss, and Pakistan decided to bowl first. There is no change on the Pakistani side as they are moving ahead with the same squad they had in the previous two games, but Suryakumar mentioned that Abhishek Sharma is playing this match.

Is Abhishek Sharma Playing Today Against Pakistan?

The buzz is not just about the match; it was also about whether Abhishek Sharma is playing or not. However, the star Indian opener is playing this important game. It is to be noted that he was suffering from a stomach infection, because of which he wasn’t able to play the second match against Namibia.

Sanju Samson got the chance to open the Indian innings alongside Ishan Kishan, but was unable to convert that chance into an opportunity. Samson was India's preferred opener alongside Abhishek, however, the failure in the NZ T20Is ensured that India went through with a different combination. Adding to it, Kishan is in the form of his life, resulting in Samson missing out on the IND vs PAK T20 World Cup match.

Abhishek Sharma Goes for a Duck

Opener Abhishek Sharma came into this match as Sanju Samson replacement, but wasn't able to contribute much. The left-handed batter, who is the best T20 batsman in the world currently, got out for a duck in the first over of the match.

Abhishek now has ducks in both the matches he has played in the T20 World Cup history. This is not the start that he would have hoped when he arrived into this tournament as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. He will look to regain form quickly as it will be helpful for the Men in Blue in the upcoming matches.

India Playing 11 Against Pakistan

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.