Will Ishan Kishan play in IND vs NZ 1st T20I? Captain Suryakumar Yadav reveals ahead of opener in Nagpur
Ishan Kishan has been picked in India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 and for the T20I series against New Zealand. Kishan is the third opener in the Indian team, along with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav spoke on Kishan ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand.
India are set to face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series with the first contest being played on Wednesday, January 21, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur. The series will be the final assignment for the defending T20 World champions before they begin their quest for an unprecedented defence at home and in Sri Lanka next month.
Ishan Kishan's return to the T20I side for the New Zealand series and the World Cup has hogged the limelight as India return to their tried and tested wicketkeeper-at-the-top option. However, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson also in the side, Kishan's spot is not confirmed.
Suryakumar Yadav confirms Kishan's spot
However, India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, during the pre-match press conference, has confirmed that Kishan will be playing in the first T20I in Nagpur and will be batting at No.3. This comes in the backdrop of Tilak Varma not being available for three of the five T20Is due to his testicular torsion, for which he underwent surgery.
Shreyas Iyer was roped in as the replacement for the injured Varma; however, he will have to wait for his chance as Kishan is set to get a go-ahead for the series opener.
"Ishan will bat at number 3 because he is a part of our T20 World Cup team and he was picked in the squad first so it's our responsibility to give him a chance," Surya said in the pre-match press conference.
"He hasn't played for India for past one and half year and in the mean time consistently performed in domestic cricket," the Indian skipper did not leave any room for guess work. Since he (Ishan) has been picked for World T20, he deserves to play ahead (of Shreyas). Had it been a question of batting slots Nos 4 or 5, it would have been a different question altogether. Unfortunately, Tilak isn't there so Ishan is our best bet," he added.
Kishan to return after 26 months
Meanwhile, Kishan is set to make his return to international cricket after a gap of 26 months. He last played for the Men in Blue in the T20I series against Australia in November 2023. He was picked in the Tests and T20I squads for the away series against South Africa. However, after not being selected for the T20Is, he withdrew from the Tests due to personal reasons, which were later confirmed to be 'mental fatigue' as he felt he wasn't getting many games.
India to face New Zealand
India's five-match T20I series against New Zealand will be their final assignment before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Men in Blue are coming into this series after losing their first-ever ODI series at home to New Zealand. They have not lost a home T20I series to the Kiwis and would want to keep the record intact heading into the global tournament.