India vs Pakistan: The Indian team’s highly anticipated T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan hangs in the balance due to a possible hitch in the team’s line-up for the match scheduled for Sunday, February 15. In fact, the left-handed ace trump of opening, Abhishek Sharma,Sharma, known for his bravery in playing strokes, was hospitalized this week after he was infected with a stomach infection. Although he has been discharged and rejoined the team, his weakness keeps his selection a topic of debate. His selection will be decided after Friday’s training session in Colombo.In a recent video featuring speedster Arshdeep Singh, Sharma talked about how he coped with what the illness took away from him. Sharma mostly lived on plain rice and lentils during his recuperation, losing nearly two kilos in weight. Yet, he is optimistic about being fit for the big game.He was out of India’s last match against Namibia, which the defending champions won by 93 runs, but his presence could turn out to be crucial against Pakistan since scores are often decided by individual performances.The 25-year-old opening batter is on fire with an impressive scoreboard of 1,297 runs in 39 matches of T20 Internationals with an impressive strike rate of 194.95, including two centuries and eight half-centuries. In the contest against Pakistan, he has already scored 110 runs in three games at a strike rate of 189.65, including one half-century.In past encounters, India has had a stranglehold on this India-Pakistan T20 showdown, having won 13 out of the last 16 head-to-head encounters. In India-Pakistan T20 World Cup encounters, India holds a slight edge of 6-1, with one encounter ending in a no-result. However, the encounter between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday in Colombo isIndia landed at Colombo tonight from Delhi in the wee hours of the day, and the team has entered the final stage of preparations. A decision on Sharma’s fitness might influence the team composition since the strategy depends on the ability of the star player to cope with the strain of a high-stakes confrontation. Fans and experts would be waiting with bated breath for the team’s practice session on Friday, which might presage a much-anticipated contest in cricket history.With Pakistan known for their spirited performances against India, Sharma’s availability could prove decisive, making his recovery a key storyline in the lead-up to Sunday’s blockbuster encounter.
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