When the BCCI senior men’s selection committee announced India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 last week, there was a notable inclusion in it.
Ishan Kishan earned a surprise call-up to the 15-member group after leading Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 title. The southpaw finished the SMAT 2025/26 as the leading run-getter (517 runs), strengthening his case as a top-order option who also adds flexibility behind the stumps.
While the T20 World Cup is still 1.5 months away, Kishan has now carried his prolific run of form into the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing a breathtaking 125 off just 39 balls in Jharkhand’s campaign opener against Karnataka.
Amidst stellar show in domestic cricket, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recalled spotting Ishan Kishan’s special talent long before the wicketkeeper-batter rose to fame.
“He’s (Ishan) small in stature, but he hits such big shots. I had already recognized his talent earlier. I had come to play a match with him once. I remember it clearly, it was an exhibition match in Mumbai. I was bowling. I bowled one ball a little slower, and he played it slightly late towards the covers. The next ball he went down on one knee and hit it for a four there. Then I said to myself, okay, now I won’t bowl slow to him, I’ll bowl fast. I bowled a fast delivery. The ball was a bit wet. But the moment the ball left my hand, he went down and played a reverse sweep. I remember that very clearly," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan further highlighted the rarity of Ishan’s skill by drawing parallel with the legendary England batter Kevin Pietersen.
“I said, this guy is an amazing player. I mean, even Kevin Pietersen didn’t hit me like that with a reverse switch hit the way this young boy did. I said, this is a special talent. After that, recently he wasn’t in the team, but as I said, I’m really happy to see him back in the side because he has a lot of power. He is a very, very strong player. He’s young, but he plays with great maturity,” he added.
Ishan Kishan has represented India in 2 Tests, 27 ODIs and 32 T20Is so far, amassing 1807 runs across formats with one hundred and 14 half-centuries to his name.
