Ishan Kishan Locked In for This Spot in Indian Playing XI

India will now be going against New Zealand for the five match T20I series. This comes right before the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 7 February. But fans have been waiting more for the comeback of Ishan Kishan, which is confirmed to take place tomorrow.

India and New Zealand had a thriller ODI series, which was won by the Kiwis 2-1. And now to level the score, the Indian team will be going against New Zealand in a five match T20I series. This will start from today at 7:30 PM IST, as the first match is scheduled to take place at the VCA Stadium.

Right before the game, a confirmation in the team has been announced by the skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. Ishan Kishan, who missed out on the Indian team for two years finally gets his chance to make a comeback. The Indian skipper has confirmed that Kishan will be batting for the team at the number three spot in the first game.

1. Skipper Confirms Kishan’s Comeback

Suryakumar Yadav was present in a Press Conference right before the T20I series against New Zealand. The Kiwis have already broken many hearts by winning the Test series in 2024, and now winning the ODI series by 2-1. At this moment, the entire Indian team will be eager to get a massive series win against New Zealand right before the T20 World Cup.

With Ishan Kishan being a part of the line-up, he is now slated to play for the team at number three. Suryakumar Yadav said, “Ishan will play third [No. 3]. Because [he's] in our World Cup team, we have picked him first. So, it's his responsibility and he has to play. He has been doing well in domestic cricket. He hasn't played for the Indian team for 1-1.5 years. We have picked him in the World Cup team and he deserves to play.”

It can be said that the stellar performances shown by Ishan Kishan have finally proved some worth to him. Playing his last match for India in 2023 before being excluded from the Central Contract, he has made a remarkable comeback. The first T20I will also determine whether he could seal his place in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup or not.

2. Can Ishan Replace Tilak?

Tilak Varma suffered with an injury ahead of the T20 World Cup. He has been one of the finest number three batsmen for the Indian team to bat at number three in T20Is. After the retirement of Virat Kohli, Varma ensured that the team didn't feel the absence of Kohli even in pressure situations. But now, it is Tilak Varma who has been injured.

A few weeks back, Tilak suffered with testicular torsion, and had to go for a surgery. It happened during the practice sessions of the domestic games, following which he was immediately rushed to the hospital. A surgery took place for the same, to ensure that the Indian cricketer remains fit and fine for the big stage coming ahead.

However, Tilak Varma was also given a certain period of time as a rest due to the surgery. As a result, he has been ruled out of the first three games in the T20I series against New Zealand. In his place, Shreyas Iyer was also added to the Indian team. But there were questions on who could fit at the number three position.

The quote, “One Man's loss is another man's opportunity,” has come out to be true for Ishan Kishan. With Varma missing out the first three games of the series, it will be Ishan Kishan to bat at this position. He has regained the opportunity to be a part of the Indian line-up, and now he will just have to give some big knocks ahead of the T20 World Cup.

3. Ishan Kishan's Domestic Dominance

Ishan Kishan was able to do well in domestic format and even the IPL. But the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 came out to be a turning point for the Indian star. He was leading Jharkhand in this tournament, and went on to script history for the team, leading them to win the title.

Ishan Kishan in SMAT 2025:

• Innings: 10
• Not Out: 1
• Runs: 517
• Average: 57.44
• Strike Rate: 197.32
• 100s: 2
• 50s: 2

Kishan didn't just lead Jharkhand's team to the win, he led them from the front. He finished as the highest run scorer of the tournament, scoring 517 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.44. In the final match against Haryana, he was able to score 101 runs for the team, winning the POTM for his magnificent performances.