India captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that Ishan Kishan will bat at No.3 in the upcoming IND vs NZ T20I series, starting January 21, placing him ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the batting order.
Following a 1–2 defeat in the ODI series, India will face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series that also serves as the team’s final preparation phase for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking ahead of the series opener in Nagpur, Suryakumar confirmed Kishan’s role in the middle order.
Ishan Kishan To Bat At No.3
“Ishan will bat at No. 3, since he is in our World Cup team, and we picked him first, so it’s his responsibility and his turn to play, and he’s not played for India for a long time,” Suryakumar said in the press conference.
“He’s been doing well in domestic cricket, and he’s not played for the Indian team for a year or year-and-a-half, and since we’ve picked him in the World Cup squad, I feel he deserves to play. If it was a question of No. 4 or 5, we may have thought differently, but unfortunately Tilak isn’t there, and I think Ishan is the best bet at No. 3.”
Kishan’s return to the Indian T20I setup comes after more than two years, following an outstanding Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 campaign. The left-handed batter led the run-scoring charts in the tournament, finishing with 517 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 197.32, including two centuries. One of those hundreds came in the final, helping Jharkhand clinch their maiden SMAT title.
Why Ishan Kishan Edged Shreyas Iyer For No.3 Role
While Shreyas Iyer was added to the T20I squad as cover for the injured Tilak Varma for the first three matches, the team management has opted to prioritise Kishan, who is also part of India squad for T20 World Cup title defence later this year.
India have experimented heavily with the No.3 position in recent T20I series. Tilak Varma had largely occupied the role, while Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel have also been tried there during the recent series against South Africa. Tilak’s injury has now opened the door for Kishan to slot into the position.
It also helps that he is a left-hander as it opens up options for India as Suryakumar also said.
“I’ve batted at both the positions for India, No. 3 and No. 4,” Suryakumar said. “I have slightly better numbers at No. 4. They are also good at No. 3. But we are flexible with that. We’ll see what the situation is when we play a game. If we have to send a right-hander, then I’ll walk in, otherwise Tilak has been doing really well at No. 3.”
Kishan has previous experience batting at No.3 in the shortest format, having done so for Sunrisers Hyderabad during the latest IPL season. His recent domestic form and flexibility in the batting order appear to have worked in his favour.
The wicketkeeper-batter’s recall also comes amid competition for the keeping role. While Jitesh Sharma was earlier viewed as a frontrunner following Sanju Samson’s modest returns in the Asia Cup 2025, Kishan’s consistent performances across white-ball formats have strengthened his case.
India squad for New Zealand T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan, Ravi Bishnoi.
For schedule, venues and latest updates, see our T20 World Cup 2026 news page.
