“I really hope Abhishek Sharma plays” - Salman Ali Agha ahead of INDvPAK clash

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha is hopeful of Indian dashing opener Abhishek Sharma making it to the playing XI after he missed out on the second group stage encounter against Namibia, which India won by 93 runs to top the Group A standings.

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For the unversed, Sharma was hospitalized ahead of the game against Namibia due to a stomach infection. However, he was discharged a day later, but couldn’t participate against Namibia. Nevertheless, he is likely to be fit for the game against the arch-rivals, Pakistan.

"I really hope he (Abhishek) will play. He is a good player, and we want to play against the best team they have. Really hope he's recovering well and can play," Agha said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the India-Pakistan match.

Abhishek Sharma played a pivotal role in India’s successful Asia Cup 2025 campaign. He scored 31 runs off only 13 balls against Pakistan in the group stage game while he went on to smack 74 runs off 39 balls in the Super Four clash against their arch-rivals.

Speaking about the magnitude of the game, Pakistan's skipper asserted that his team is always ready for the game, adding that his side has been in good momentum, having won two games in Colombo, adjusting to the conditions in Sri Lanka.

"This is a very big game and the magnitude is huge. We were always ready for the game, whatever be the decision. We are in good momentum and I hope that being in Colombo since the start will help us in terms of conditions. We have to play good cricket to win the match,” he added.

While Pakistan initially boycotted the game against India to show solidarity with Bangladesh for pulling out of the campaign due to security reasons, they made a quick U-turn after the successful talks between the ICC, PCB and BCB.

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