NEW DELHI: India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday the team has always been mentally ready to face Pakistan in their T20 World Cup league match.The two rivals are set to meet on February 15, and Ten Doeschate stressed that off-field issues never distracted the Indian camp from its preparations.
He admitted Pakistan might have a slight advantage since they have already been in Colombo for two weeks, but India are concentrating on delivering its best performance. “It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo, where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks, and we’re fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture next week,” he told the reporters. With India playing Namibia on February 12 in their second encounter of the ongoing T20 World Cup, clarity over Pakistan’s participation means both teams can treat the match purely as a sporting contest. Meanwhile, India opener Abhishek Sharma missed the team’s first training session in New Delhi due to illness and stomach problems, raising doubts about his availability for the Namibia match. He had a poor start to the tournament with a golden duck against the USA and didn’t field in that match, with Sanju Samson replacing him. At a team dinner hosted by coach Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek left early, adding to health concerns. “Abhi (Abhishek Sharma) has still got a few issues with his tummy, but we are hopeful he will be available for the game in two days time. Bumrah is also feeling and moving a lot better,” he said on Tuesday. Jasprit Bumrah also missed the USA match due to illness. India may rest Abhishek to ensure he is fully fit for the Pakistan game, with Sanju Samson possibly opening in his place. Abhishek is seen as a key player due to his explosive T20 batting, and despite his early failure, the team values his impact. India still beat the USA by 29 runs, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84 and strong bowling from Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.
