Ishan Kishan made a memorable return to the Indian team in the recently held five-T20I series against New Zealand. The southpaw finished the series with 215 runs from four innings at an average of 53.75 and a strike-rate of 231.18, including one hundred and a half-century.
As a result, Kishan strengthened his claim to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter and Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner at the T20 World Cup 2026, starting February 7.
On Wednesday (February 4), the left-hander took one step further and openly declaring his desire to open the innings for India after smashing a blazing fifty in the warm-up fixture against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium.
Kishan slammed 53 off 20 balls with 2 fours and 7 sixes before being retired hurt. His whirlwind display at the top propelled the hosts to gigantic 241 in 20 overs.
After India’s comprehensive 30-run victory, Kishan addressed the opening debate, admitting his excitement about the role.
“I was really excited for Wednesday. I wanted to open the innings. Batting at number three, I enjoyed that situation, but with the World Cup coming up, no matter what position I bat in, my focus is always on doing my best for the team,” Kishan said.
“I think it’s about staying in the present, watching the ball and playing the shots that are required at that point in time. I’m not putting too much thought or effort into it,” he added.
Reflecting on his fearless approach, Kishan remarked: “I’m just reacting, watching the ball, and playing accordingly, and that seems to be working well for me. Some days you feel really good, some days you don’t. On this particular day, I also have to give credit to the pitch, it was tremendous to bat on, even in the second innings. I trusted the wicket and the bounce.”
Speaking at the toss, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma as the opening pair, a move that appeared to push Sanju Samson further down the pecking order.
Kishan’s attacking philosophy, he revealed, has been shaped by the urgency of a World Cup year. “With the World Cup so close, it’s important to be in the mindset that if the ball is there, even if there’s a fielder, you back yourself and go for it,” he said.
India heaved a sigh of relief as key batter Tilak Varma took the field in the warm-up game against South Africa and smashed 45 off just 19 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Tilak had missed the entire T20I series against the Kiwis after undergoing a surgery for an abdominal issue last month.
Kishan emphasized the importance of Tilak’s return from injury. “He’s very important for us. He’s not just a batsman anymore, he gives us a few overs, especially when two left-handers are batting. He’s a very good fielder, and the way he’s batting these days, you need someone at number three who can rotate the strike and keep things moving,” he said.
Commenting on India’s performance with the ball in the warm-up tie, Kishan said the bowling unit delivered under challenging conditions but called for improvement.
“There’s always room for improvement. We’ll talk about areas we can bowl to batters and how we can plan better. But on this wicket, I think we did a pretty good job… Overall, it was a solid bowling effort, though we’ll sit down and discuss how we can improve further,” he concluded.
