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Sanju Samson has had a disappointing run in the India vs New Zealand T20 series days ahead of the World Cup after which he was ruled out of the playing eleven and in-form Ishan Kishan replaced him in the opening spot and also wicket-keeping.

New Delhi, February 12: Indian wicket-keeper and opener Sanju Samson will again find himself in the spotlight as Team India prepare to take on Namibia in their second game in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. Sanju Samson has had a disappointing run in the India vs New Zealand T20 series days ahead of the World Cup after which he was ruled out of the playing eleven and in-form Ishan Kishan replaced him in the opening spot and also wicket-keeping.

Another Chance To Prove Himself

However, Sanju Samson now has another chance to prove himself worthy to be a part of the playing eleven as another Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been ruled out of the game against Namibia due to severe stomach infection and had also been hospitalised due to the illness.

Abhishek Sharma Illness

Abhishek Sharma was seen at the Arun Jaitley Stadium today ahead of the toss. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav gave an update about his health after the toss and said that the might take a match or two to recover from his illness. India will be facing Pakistan in their third game at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

If Sanju Samson performs well today, he might be considered as a replacement for Abhishek Sharma in the high-voltage clash against Pakistan if he does not recover on time. Namibia won the toss and decided to bowl first against India.

India Vs Namibia Playing Elevens:

India Playing XI: Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Namibia Playing XI: Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Malan Kruger, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo