Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav has signalled a clear World Cup-focused approach ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand, with Ishan Kishan set to replace the injured Tilak Varma in the playing XI on Wednesday. Tilak Varma’s unavailability due to injury forced the selectors and team management to bring in an alternative for the middle-order role.
Shreyas Iyer was recently included in the squad for the opening three T20Is of the series, but the management has opted for Kishan, keeping the World Cup in mind. Suryakumar made it clear that preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup played a decisive role in the call.
"No, sir, Ishan will bat at No. 3 because he is in our World Cup team, and we picked him first, so it's his responsibility and his time to play, and he's not played for India for a long time," Suryakumar said at the press conference.
"He's been performing well in domestic cricket, and he's not played for the Indian team for a year or a year and a half. And now 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."
Meanwhile, India will face New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday in Nagpur, marking the start of their preparation for the upcoming T20I Word Cup.