India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed that Ishan Kishan suffered a groin niggle, and he is unlikely to play the second T20I against New Zealand. Kotak said this was the reason why Tilak Varma was promoted to the number three position in the series opener at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Thursday.
The batting coach said if Kishan fails to recover in time, then Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is likely to play the second game. Sooryavanshi didn’t feature in all five T20Is against the West Indies and last played in the Asian Games final against Pakistan, where he scored 15 runs.
Sooryavanshi had hogged the limelight after he scored 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026.
Kotak said via RevSportz, “Ishan Kishan has a groin niggle, that’s why Tilak Varma was promoted. Ishan is also unlikely to play in the second T20I. If Ishan doesn’t play, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has a strong chance to play.”
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma struggled to get going after he batted at one drop in the opening T20I against the Kiwis in the run chase of 226. Varma managed only six runs off 11 balls before he was dismissed by Michael Bracewell. Ishan Kishan, who batted at number five, scored a solitary run off three balls.
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave a perfect start to the team, adding 93 runs off just 35 balls. Samson top-scored with 67 runs off 33 balls, whereas Naman Dhir added the finishing touches as he played a quickfire knock of 42 runs off 15 balls.
The second T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Saturday.
