‘Ishan Kishan will play at number 3’:Suryakumar Yadav confirms wicketkeeper’s India comeback in first T20I against New Zealand

Before the first T20 match between India and New Zealand, captain Suryakumar Yadav clarified that Ishan Kishan will bat at number three. In the pre-match press conference held in Nagpur, Suryakumar said that Ishan is part of the T20 World Cup 2026 plans and has been consistently performing well in domestic cricket. He said, “The team management believes that Ishan is the strongest option for number three, and he should get opportunities.” Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who is returning after 25 months, will not get an opportunity yet. The first match of the five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand will be played on Wednesday in Nagpur. Ishan has played 4 matches at number 3 Ishan Kishan has played four matches at number three in T20 Internationals so far. During this, he has scored 114 runs, which includes two half-centuries. His average has been 28.50. Ishan made his T20 debut against England in March 2023. After that, he played 32 T20Is and scored 796 runs. His average was 25.67, and he scored six half-centuries. His last T20 match was against Australia in November 2023. Top Scorer in Syed Mushtaq Ali Ishan’s performance in domestic cricket has been quite strong recently. He was the top run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. Playing for Jharkhand, he scored 517 runs in 10 matches. His average was 57.44 and strike rate was 197.32. During this period, he scored two centuries and two half-centuries and played a crucial role in helping the team win the title. India’s T20 Team Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20s), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Ravi Bishnoi. Playing with Kohli is special – Duffy New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, regarding sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli, said that he has witnessed the passion of Indian fans for Kohli on the field, and now seeing it from inside the dressing room will be a special experience. He said that cheering Kohli from the dressing room would be a memorable moment for him. Duffy also recalled his journey from his small town Lumsden to international cricket. He said that the conditions there were difficult, but that very environment made him strong. Regarding the series against India, he said that the team will enter the field with good preparation without any additional pressure. New Zealand T20 Team Mitchell Santner (Captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (Wicketkeeper), Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevan Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.