India and New Zealand are all set to square off in a five-match T20I series, starting on Wednesday (January 21) in Nagpur. This is the last opportunity for both teams to finalize their playing combination for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
On the eve of the T20I series opener, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav addressed a press conference, where he named the new No. 3 batter in the absence of Tilak Varma.
Notably, the southpaw has been ruled out of the first three matches after undergoing abdominal surgery earlier this month. Shreyas Iyer has made a comeback to the T20I squad as Tilak’s replacement.
However, Suryakumar confirmed that Ishan Kishan will play ahead of Shreyas in the New Zealand series as he is part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad and a like-for-like replacement for the injured Tilak, being a left-hander.
“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. He hasn’t played for India for past one and half year and in the mean time consistently performed in domestic cricket," Suryakumar told reporters.
“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.
When asked the chances of him batting at No. 3, where he has experienced a fair bit of success, the captain indicated that he would like to be flexible.
“I have batted at both positions for India. My stats at No. 4 are sightly better although they are good at No. 3 also. But then we are flexible with that," Suryakumar stated.
“We will see and if the situation demands that we have to send a right-hander (in case right hander Sanju Samson gets out), then, I will go in, otherwise Tilak (now injured) has been doing really well at number three."
Suryakumar Yadav’s batting numbers have fallen drastically ever since assuming the T20I captaincy. He managed to score only 218 runs across 21 matches and 19 innings in 2025, averaging just over 13, with the best score of 47* to his credit.
However, the former No. 1 ranked T20I batter intends to change nothing in his batting that has brought him success.
“I’ve been out of runs. But I can’t change my identity. I have decided to keep doing what I have been doing in the last three or four years so that has given me a lot of success.
“If the performance comes, I’ll take it, if it doesn’t, it’s back to the drawing board. I’m still batting in the nets the way I always have," he said.
For Suryakumar, individual form doesn’t matter in the larger context of the team.
“Had I been playing a single (individual) sport like TT or tennis, I would have worried about my form. But this is team sport and my first responsibility is to ensure that my team does well.
“If team wins, I am happy and if I can contribute in team’s success then fine and if not, doesn’t matter as it can happen. But I have to look at 14 other players also and there is no place for looking at personal milestones."
