Overview
- Suryakumar Yadav confirmed a pre-series plan for Sanju Samson to keep in three T20Is and Ishan Kishan in two, noting Kishan missed one game with a niggle.
- Ishan Kishan finished the New Zealand series with 215 runs in four innings and a century in the fifth T20I at Thiruvananthapuram, then kept wickets after his ton.
- Sanju Samson’s returns slumped to 46 runs across five matches, intensifying scrutiny of his place as India weigh options for the opener-wicketkeeper slot.
- Analyst Irfan Pathan praised selectors for recalling Kishan and called dropping vice-captain Shubman Gill a brave move that has been vindicated by Kishan’s impact.
- InsideSport’s projected World Cup XI lists Kishan as starting wicketkeeper-opener with Samson on the bench, presented as a prediction as Tilak Varma resumes playing.