He was the top run-scorer of the SMAT 2025.
Following a 1-2 ODI series defeat, India are set to take on New Zealand for five T20Is, starting on January 21. The series will be both teams’ final chance to prepare for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The Jharkhand captain, Ishan Kishan, returned to the Indian setup after more than a two-year gap, following a triumphant Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. However, Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed his spot in the playing XI ahead of the series opener in Nagpur.
“Ishan will play at No.3. He is part of the World Cup squad and deserves to play,” he said in the press conference.
Notably, many had expected a comeback of the ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer in India’s T20I line-up after replacing Tilak Varma for the initial three fixtures. But the skipper emphasised providing game time to Kishan, as he has also been included in the hosts’ squad for their T20 title defence.
While Tilak has mostly been seen to come in at the position, the management has done quite an experiment around the No.3 spot in T20Is. Besides the 23-year-old, captain Suryakumar or all-rounder Axar Patel has also batted in the slot during their latest 20-over series against South Africa.
However, the unfortunate injury of Tilak has opened the door for the opener to take up the spot. Previously, he was also seen to bat at No.3 for his new IPL franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in the latest season of the league.
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The wicketkeeper-batter earned a recall for the Men in Blue due to a dominating show in the SMAT 2025. Kishan topped the run-scoring table in India’s domestic T20 league, notching up a magnificent 517 runs in 10 matches, striking at a blazing rate of 197.32.
His heroics also comprised two centuries, one of which came during the final, to guide Jharkhand to their maiden SMAT silverware. Moreover, coming off a spectacular outing in the shortest format of the game, the batter also carried on a similar form to put up his seventh List A ton (125) in the Vijay Hazare Trophy opener.
Earlier, the management was apparently seeing Jitesh Sharma as the first-choice keeper, following Sanju Samson’s sub-par stats in the Asia Cup 2025. But the 27-year-old’s ongoing purple patch in white-ball cricket saw him edge out the gloveman in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan, and Ravi Bishnoi.
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