Suryakumar Yadav has announced that Ishan Kishan will open with him in India’s opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the United States at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. The match is set to begin at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time.
While leading Team India in a warm-up game against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Suryakumar mentioned that Kishan will also open with Abhishek Sharma in the practice match. Additionally, Kishan will take on wicketkeeping responsibilities.
Suryakumar stated: “We will bat first. There might be some dew later, so we want to challenge our bowlers and test ourselves tonight. Ishan and Abhishek will be our openers.”
This choice indicates that Sanju Samson will not be in India’s starting lineup for the match. Samson struggled in the recent series against New Zealand, while Kishan delivered impressive performances, including a century in the last game of the series. Samson’s recent performance influenced the decision to choose Kishan over him, as Kishan will step up to the number three position with Tilak Varma expected to return.
Suryakumar added: “Playing this sport comes with responsibility. There’s always pressure. However, the support we receive from fans gives us an extra boost. We just want to keep following our routines from the past year and a half.”
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav.
