Ishan Kishan, right, comes out to bat as Sanju Samson leaves the field after his dismissal during the second T20I cricket match between India and New Zealand in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. (PTI Photo) India got a new T20 opening pair on Wednesday when Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma walked out to open the innings as the Men-in-Blue played South Africa in their only warm-up match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 at the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. India won the toss and captain Suryakumar Yadav elected to bat first.At the toss, Suryakumar confirmed a change in the batting order, hinting at a possible setback for Sanju Samson’s World Cup plans. The Indian skipper said that Ishan Kishan will open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, displacing Samson from the opening role.“We will bat first. It is something we have been good at. There may be some dew later in the evening, we want to test our bowlers in tough conditions and defend the total no matter what we get,” Suryakumar said at the toss.Follow live updatesWhen asked about the opening combination and handling the pressure at home, the India captain made the team’s plan clear. “Definitely Ishan and Abhishek. (On dealing with pressure and expectations) You see, I think when you play in India in front of your home ground, there are expectations. But at the same time, having so many people cheering you on in the stadium, I think it gives you that extra edge,” he added.Sanju Samson’s position has been watched for months. Ahead of Asia Cup 2025, Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings and provided steady returns. However, the team management later brought Shubman Gill into the side, which pushed Samson into the middle order. This change affected Samson’s output and there were increasing calls for him to resume his role as an opener.Gill’s lack of runs and slow scoring rate led the selectors to bring back Ishan Kishan after his strong Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season. Samson then got another chance at the top but managed only 49 runs in five innings against New Zealand. During the same series, Kishan batted at No. 3 and scored his first T20I century.After Tilak Varma’s return to the lineup, the management decided to move Kishan to the starting position. This shift left no clear place for Samson in the playing eleven. The team mindset was hinted at earlier when Kishan was asked to keep wickets in the fifth T20I.The warm-up decision has raised questions as to whether Samson’s chances of making the T20 World Cup XI are on the wane, with the captain’s “definitely Ishan” comment underscoring the current pecking order at the top.
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