Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes Ishan Kishan has sealed the deal for the T20 World Cup opener. His comments come on the heels of Kishan’s explosive knock against South Africa in a warm-up match on Wednesday, where he hit a quickfire fifty.
Chopra added that there was no doubt that Kishan’s performance had turned the contest decisively in his favor and stated that Sanju Samson had lost the battle for the top spot.
In their second warm-up match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed at the toss that India will try Kishan as Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner. Kishan repaid that faith in style, smashing 53 off just 20 ballsincluding seven sixes. He retired in the sixth over, allowing Tilak Varma to spend some valuable time in the middle.
“Absolutely. I mean, he’s done the deal, absolutely — no questions asked,” Chopra told television stations after the game.
Set for a T20 World Cup opener, Samson endured a sensational series against New Zealand, managing just 46 runs from five matches at an average of 9.20 with a top score of 24. In contrast, Kishan got the opportunity to open after a sensational T20I series against the Kiwis, where he smashed 15 runs at 32.12 including a 42-ball century at Thiruvananthapuram.
WILL SAMSON GET A CHANCE?
Chopra said that with Samson being the only batsman unlikely to feature in the starting eleven, he could be called upon to bat anywhere when needed.
“Someone might get injured, someone might wake up in the morning with a fever or they might lose their form – then you’d want to push them in and that can happen.
“It is also possible that he doesn’t even get to bat in his natural position because he is the only batsman who could bat anywhere. So today was an opportunity – if he scores runs as well, it would be perfect,” added Chopra.
Sanju didn’t feature in the warm-up where India got valuable practice in a 30-run win at the DY Patil Stadium. Given the contrasting form of Kishan and Samson, there is a good chance that Kishan will open the batting when India take on the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
February 5, 2026
