Abhishek Sharma's participation in IND vs ENG 2nd T20I uncertain due to...

New Delhi: India's cricket team faces a setback as opener Abhishek Sharma suffers a twisted ankle ahead of the second T20I against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The injury occurred during a warm-up session on Friday evening, raising concerns about his availability for the crucial match.

Abhishek appeared to be in significant discomfort and received treatment from the physio. Although he was able to walk after the initial care and even went to the nets at the MAC B Stadium, the left-hander didn’t take to the field to bat.

The left-handed batter was spotted limping at the nets, casting doubt on his availability for the match on Saturday evening. In the opening match in Kolkata, he was India’s top scorer with 79, which played a key role in securing a comfortable victory at Eden Gardens.

If Abhishek is unavailable for the match, it will be intriguing to see who will join Sanju Samson at the top of the order, as there is no third opener in the squad. In that scenario, either Tilak Varma or Dhruv Jurel could replace the Punjab opener.

Mohammed Shami, who didn’t play in Kolkata, bowled consistently during the net session. At first, he used a shortened run-up while wearing a knee brace, with bowling coach Morne Morkel closely observing. After a 15-20 minute spell, he rested before returning to bowl at full intensity later on.

Despite concerns over his exclusion in Kolkata, The Indian Express reports that Mohammed Shami is fully match-fit and was left out of the playing XI due to India’s combination strategy. With a focus on strengthening both batting and bowling, the team opted to include all-rounders, with Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy making the XI alongside the trio of spinners — Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi.

Arshdeep Singh was the only fast bowler in the playing XI, and the bowling lineup may stay unchanged for the match at Chepauk.