India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan once again gave a testament to his explosive batting abilities by taking Proteas speedster Anrich Nortje to the cleaners in the IND vs SA T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match. Ishan, who has been in sublime form of late, continued his exploits by smacking Nortje for three sixes and a boundary during the fifth over in the powerplay.
Ishan did not stop there as he went on to script his fifty soon off just 20 balls, hitting at a blistering rate of 265, comprising two boundaries and seven maximums.
Watch the video of Ishan’s carnage below against Anrich Nortje.
Ishan, however, was retired out after the fifty, in a bid to give other batters a go in the only warm-up game for the senior Indian side before they head into the ICC event.
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Ishan Kishan was initially recalled to the Indian T20I squad as a backup for Sanju Samson, after the Shubman Gill experiment did not work out. Ishan, who had been out of the Indian side for close to two years, enjoyed a stellar domestic season, where he finished as the top-scorer of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025) and subsequently earned the call-up.
Nevertheless, it was Sanju Samson who continued to open alongside Abhishek Sharma in the recent IND vs NZ T20I series – the final dress rehearsal before the T20 World Cup 2026. Ishan Kishan played at the No.3 slot with Tilak Varma absent due to injury. However, Sanju failed to get going in all five games while Ishan put up an exemplary show of his batting heroics with a century and a fifty.
In the final match, the wicketkeeping responsibility was transferred from Sanju to Ishan, highlighting the management’s shift before the World Cup. In today’s IND vs SA warm-up match, Ishan took the opening slot as well from Sanju with Tilak coming in at No.3, a clear indication that Ishan Kishan is the favourite to open in the India Playing XI when the tournament begins.
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