Ishan Kishan will return to the Indian playing XI for the first time in more than two years after captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that the left-hander will be preferred ahead of Shreyas Iyer when the men in Blue take on New Zealand in the first of the five T20Is, starting on Wednesday.
Having played his last international game for India in 2023, Kishan was rewarded for his consistent domestic performances for Jharkhand with a spot in the national squad for the T20Is against New Zealand and in the T20 World Cup 2026. The left-hander scored 517 runs in 10 matches to finish as the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
With Tilak Varma injured and out for the first three T20Is against the Kiwis, Kishan will bat at the no.3 spot. “Obviously, we will miss Tilak and Washi. But injuries are part of a sportsperson's career. It would be an opportunity for someone else to play. Ishan will play at No. 3. He is part of the World Cup squad and deserves to play,” Suryaumar confirmed.
Iyer, who was initially not picked in the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand series, was called in for the first three games as a replacement for Tilak. Iyer was part of the Indian ODI squad against New Zealand and scored 49, 8, and 3 in the series, which the Men in Blue lost 1-2.
How will India's top order look like?
With no Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson will return at the top to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. Kishan and skipper Suryakumar will take the no.3 and 4 spots respectively, followed by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. India is going with three all-rounders in Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, who will take the next three spots in the batting order.
Their batting position can interchange depending on the match situation. Rinku Singh will add the eighth batting option in the line-up.
Jasprit Bumrah to head Indian bowling attack
Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah will headline the attack along with Arshdeep Singh. Hardik and Dube will add up for the third and fourth seamer's role. Varun Chakravarthy will be the sole specialist spinner in the side and will get support from Axar.
India's predicted XI in 1st T20I vs New Zealand
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
