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3 min readMar 16, 2026 03:45 PM IST
The flip side of including Ishan Kishan was that Jitesh Sharma, who had been performing consistently until then as India's backup wicketkeeper (PTI Photo)
Ishan Kishan was a last-minute addition to the Indian team for the 2026 T20 World Cup and the move paid dividends, to put it lightly. Kishan was in red-hot form in domestic cricket and simply continued on that on his return to international cricket after a two-year absence in the T20I series against New Zealand, which had preceded the T20 World Cup. In the tournament itself, Kishan finished as India’s second highest run scorer behind Samson and was arguably the most reliable cog in the batting lineup throughout the tournament.
Kishan scored 317 runs in nine innings at an astonishing strike rate of 193.29 with three half-centuries to show. India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that they had gone for Kishan on the basis of their gut feel as much as the numbers. The flip side of it was that Jitesh Sharma, who had been performing consistently until then as India’s backup wicketkeeper, had to make way which Suryakumar admitted was unfair. “It was completely on gut, little bit on data. It (the decision) was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma at that time because he was playing with the team for over an year. And he was playing (well), had he not been playing then the story would have been different,” said Suryakumar on PTI. “I was also very sad when we had to pick Ishan over Jitesh. But we needed an opener who could fire at the top, so someone had to miss out.”
India became the most succesfull team in the history of the T20 World Cup, winning their third title this year by beating New Zealand in the final. It was Suryakumar’s second time winning the covetted trophy, having earlier taken it under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma in 2024. Suryakumar took over as skipper of that team after that tournament. While India only stepped up their dominance in T20Is between 2024 and 2026, Suryakumar’s machine-like consistency with the bat took a hit, particularly in 2025. He had, however, told the Indian Express after the World Cup triumph that he focussed more on the team than his own performances after becoming captain.
“Since I took captaincy I never paid attention to personal things — I always had 14 more people with me, and looking after them is just as important. The team was winning, I knew I was going in the right direction, and I knew my runs would come. In 2024, that catch changed my life. Now, after winning this World Cup as captain, I feel my life will change again,” he had said.
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