Abhishek Sharma suffers ankle injury ahead of 2nd T20I
What's the story
The Indian cricket team has been jolted by an injury scare ahead of the second T20I against England.
Star opener Abhishek Sharma twisted his ankle during a training session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The incident happened on Friday when he was involved in a catching drill, PTI reported.
Subsequently, he was immediately attended to by the Indian team physiotherapist on the field.
Batting implications
Sharma's injury could impact India's batting strategy
After the incident, Sharma was spotted limping back to the pavilion and didn't return to bat in the nets. He spent over 30 minutes with the physio in the dressing room.
This injury is a massive blow for India, given his recent performance where he scored a quickfire 79 off 34 balls in Kolkata.
His partnership with Sanju Samson has been key in giving India explosive starts since they joined forces post-2024 T20 World Cup.
Team adjustments
Potential changes in team lineup due to Sharma's injury
If Sharma is ruled out of Saturday's match, India could look at including either Washington Sundar or Dhruv Jurel in the playing XI.
This could also see Tilak Varma moving up the batting order to open with Samson.
India currently leads the five-match series 1-0, after their dominant victory in the opening game in Kolkata where they chased down 133 inside 13 overs with seven wickets in hand.
Bowling preparations
Mohammed Shami's training session ahead of 2nd T20I
In other news, Mohammed Shami, who missed out on the Kolkata T20I, had a steady bowling session in the nets on the eve of the second T20I.
The Indian pacer worked hard on finding his bowling rhythm at Chepauk and was also part of throwing drills with fielding coach T Dilip.
Despite being match-fit, Shami was missed out in the first T20I due to India's combination preference.