India’s Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the T20 Men’s World Cup warm-up cricket match between India and South Africa at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) (PTI02_04_2026_000391A) TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: At the post-match presentation during India’s warm-up match against South Africa, Ishan Kishan admitted that he knew he would open the day before the match. And boy, he took the opportunity to end the Ishan Kishan vs Sanju Samson debate, at least for a while.Ishan Kishan’s aggressive 20-ball 53 lit up the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and sealed India’s tournament opener against USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
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If the T20I series against New Zealand was an opportunity to prove that he still belongs, the match against South Africa was a stark message that he is ready for the action. In front of an audience of over 40,000, Ishan was like a kid who knew his way around a sweet shop, picking his seats as easily as pulling lollipops off the shelves. Anrich Nortje was the picture of disbelief as he was smashed for four sixes in the over. The faster he bowled, the faster they sailed into the stands as South Africa looked a hapless bunch when the attack got going. The fine-leg pickups were clean and mean, the variations were read to perfection and it was only fitting that his entertaining innings ended as it began – with an authoritative six.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!
I found out the day before this game. He was very excited for this opportunity. I wanted to open a shift.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan has always had a special prowess while batting, but his range has improved tremendously and the hard yards on the domestic circuit have hardened him for the international grind. He was a character who was never overwhelmed by the occasion, but the weight of the runs allowed him to take his game a few notches higher than it was the last time he played at this level. There is no fear, no uncertainty and a lot of clarity. The runs may have arrived at No.3 in the New Zealand T20I, but Ishan was genuinely “thrilled” to return to the opening position for the Blues.“I came to know a day before this match. I was very excited about the opportunity. I wanted to open the innings. I also enjoyed batting at 3. With the World Cup coming up, whatever number I had to bat at, I wanted to give my best,” he said after India’s 30-run win over South Africa.
Navi Mumbai: India’s Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the T20 Men’s World Cup warm-up cricket match between India and South Africa at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) (PTI02_04_2026_000394B)
Clarity of thought has remained the key word in how Ishan has gone about his business since returning to the set-up and it has been borne out by the shot selection in the last few outings. Seeing the ball and reading the bowler was the mantra and the emphasis was on “staying present” rather than “thinking too much or trying”.“I think it’s about staying present, watching the ball and playing the shots that are required at the time. I don’t put too much thought or effort into it. I just react, watch the ball and play accordingly, and it seems to work well for me. Some days you feel really good, some days you don’t.”
With the World Cup so close, it’s important to remember that if the ball is there, even if the fielder is there, you back off and go for it.
Ishan Kishan
“On this particular day, I also have to appreciate the pitch; it was amazing to bat, even in the second innings. With the World Cup so close, it’s important to remember that when the ball is there, even if the fielder is there, you back off and go for it,” he added.When he was called back to the dugout after facing 20 balls that were laced with seven sixes and two fours, captain Suryakumar Yadav was on his feet applauding the knock. Hardik Pandya came out of the innings to pat his former Mumbai Indians teammate’s head in appreciation and the team management would have been relieved to find the missing piece in their batting puzzle.
India’s Ishan Kishan celebrates his century during the fifth and final T201 cricket match between India and New Zealand at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar) (PTI01_31_2026_000456B) *** Local Description ***
Sanju Samson’s loss of form has come at a very bad time for a wicket-keeper batsman, but Ishan’s huge strides towards dominance augured well for the entire unit heading into the multi-nation tournament. Surya tried to keep everyone guessing by saying that the call for Ishan and Sanju will be revealed on February 7, but he was left with no option but to go the “definitely Ishan and Abhishek (open)” route in the toss.Such was Ishan’s dominance that even Abhishek was reduced to a spectator from the other end as the wicketkeeper manned most of the strokes and fired at will. The two exchanged a mischievous grin every time Ishan picked up and the score raced towards 80/0 in a flash. Abhishek, for a change, was not a wrecker in the first six as he managed just 23 off the 14 deliveries he faced.That’s what good form coupled with the right amount of support can do. He can reduce one of the most devastating batsmen in the format to a bystander position. The batsman, who is used to hitting at least a few boundaries in his first few balls, found his first hit on the ropes only in the eighth delivery he faced. Two more followed, but by the end of the fourth over it was clear that it was Ishan who dominated the power play on Wednesday.
It is one of the most dangerous teams. But what is needed in a good team? All. They have experience, especially when it comes to this format. The experience is huge.
MS Dhoni
The spot between Ishan and Sanju Samson has been much debated, but now it’s time to go to bed. You certainly can’t beat a batsman as skilled as Ishan and Sanju’s overload of recent failures will weigh heavily on the team in their title defense at home. There is scope for extended runs like the out-of-form Surya got in the bilaterals, but multi-country tournaments are a different sauce. One bad game, one bad start can sap momentum from a campaign and there is very little room for recovery in a format that, like India’s batting, moves in the fast lane.Sanju tried and the management did too by giving him an extended run, but it looks like the right-hander’s wait for a World Cup game for this country will get even longer.It’s Ishan’s world at the moment and we all live in it.
Indian pasta in the fast lane
Meanwhile, India’s batsmen have also embraced life in the fast lane and Wednesday night was another exhibition of the template they have stuck to in the format over the past few months. There is no intention of slowing down even in sharp turns and Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will instill a lot of fear in the opposition they are scheduled to face in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
India’s Hardik Pandya plays a shot during the fifth and final T201 cricket match between India and New Zealand at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar) (PTI01_31_2026_000478B) *** Local Description ***
There is the aggressive Abhishek Sharma, the in-form Suryakumar Yadav, the consistent Tilak Varma, a dangerous lower middle order with Hardik Pandya, Shiva Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel and the fresh addition to this dangerous lot is the pocket dynamo Ishan Kishan.Former India captain MS Dhoni has already warned other teams and praised Team India’s “enormous experience” in the shortest format of the game.
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“It is one of the most dangerous teams. But what is needed in a good team? Everything. They have experience, especially when it comes to this format. Experience is huge,” Dhoni said on cricket commentator Jatin Sapra’s official YouTube channel.Fasten your seat belts as Surya and his boys are on the loose and the way they bat is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in T20 cricket.
