New Delhi

India’s biggest worry ahead of their Group A T20 World Cup match against Namibia is not the opposition but opener Abhishek Sharma’s stomach infection, which has put his availability in doubt.

After an underwhelming batting display on a sticky Wankhede surface against the USA, the Indian line-up will look to unleash itself on what is expected to be a batting-friendly Feroz Shah Kotla pitch when they take on Namibia here on Thursday.

The defending champions start overwhelming favourites against the African side, which struggled against fellow Associate nation the Netherlands at the same venue. The gulf in quality between the two teams is evident, making the contest largely an opportunity for India to fine-tune combinations.

For India, the focus will be on batting first and allowing the top and middle order to spend time in the middle. Namibia’s bowling attack is unlikely to pose a sustained challenge to an Indian line-up packed with power and depth.

However, Abhishek’s hospitalisation due to a stomach infection and viral fever has raised concerns within the camp. Even if he is discharged by Wednesday, team management is expected to be cautious, with an eye firmly on the high-voltage clash against Pakistan on Sunday, where his aggressive presence at the top could be vital.

In Abhishek’s absence, the Namibia game could serve as a timely opportunity for Sanju Samson, who has struggled for runs in recent outings and lost his spot to an in-form Ishan Kishan.

“Sanju is feeling good again and understands where he fits in now as an injury replacement,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said at the pre-match press conference. “He’s a solid presence around the group, training well, and that’s what we expect from everyone.”

Namibia’s challenge will be even stiffer with the ball in hand when facing India’s pace-spin combination of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Hardik Pandya. For their batters, dealing with Chakravarthy’s variations could prove particularly demanding.

Ten Doeschate hinted that the match may also provide an opportunity to test some of Chakravarthy’s newer variations. “He’s worked on a few new deliveries, and you might see them rolled out at different stages,” he said.

Statistically, Namibia’s batting lacks the firepower to consistently threaten top attacks, with only all-rounder JJ Smit boasting a strike rate above 140 among their top-order players.

With the tournament schedule favouring India in the league stage, the defending champions are expected to progress comfortably to the Super Eight, where sterner tests await. For now, the Namibia encounter offers India a chance to build momentum, iron out flaws and manage workloads.

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Teams (from):

India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh.

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (capt), Jan Balt, Zane Green (wk), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Lauren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, William Myburgh, JJ Smit, Jack Brassel, Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann.

Match starts: 7 pm.