IND vs NZ: Why is Ishan Kishan keeping instead of Sanju Samson in Thiruvananthapuram?

India surprised many when Ishan Kishan walked out with gloves in the fifth IND vs NZ T20I ahead of Sanju Samson in Thiruvananthapuram.

Indian Cricket Team and New Zealand Cricket Team are squaring off in the fifth T20I on Saturday, January 31, at Greenfield International Cricket Stadium in Trivandrum. Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first in the clash.

Sanju Samson failed once again with the bat, getting out for just six runs. Abhishek Sharma, on the other hand, started well and slammed quick-fire 30. But the limelight was taken by Ishan Kishan, who hammered a brutal century. With the help of six boundaries and 10 sixes, he hammered 103 runs off 43 deliveries.

The left-handed batsman registered his first-ever century in T20I cricket, setting the field on fire. Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav also smacked his third fifty of the series, smacking 63 runs off 30 deliveries. His innings was laced with six maximums and four boundaries.

Hardik Pandya played a blistering knock of 42 runs off 17 deliveries, smacking four sixes at a strike rate of 247+. With their marvellous batting shows, India piled up a gigantic total of 271/5 in the first innings. The Kiwi bowlers were completely helpless against the hosts, with Lockie Ferguson picking up two wickets. Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, and Mitchell Santner claimed one scalp each.

India almost confirms Ishan Kishan as keeper for T20 World Cup 2026

In the second innings, fans were surprised to witness Kishan keeping the stumps ahead of Samson. Notably, Samson was the designated wicket-keeper in the team’s sheet for the match. However, the Men-in-Blue gave the gloves to Kishan following his brilliant batting show.

This in itself is a massive hint that Ishan Kishan might be preferred over Sanju Samson in T20 World Cup 2026 as a keeper as well as an opener. With Kishan slamming a century, team management would want to see how he performs the role behind the stumps before taking a call for tournament.

Notably, Samson was the primary wicket-keeper batsman for India in T20Is last year. However, Kishan made a comeback to the shortest format following his incredible performance in the domestic circuit. With his batting heroics in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2025), Kishan finished as the leading run-scorer and also captained Jharkhand to the title.

Kishan also impressed with his performance in the second T20I in Raipur, where he smacked a quickfire half-century. Leading India to victory by seven wickets with his blistering knock of 76 runs off 32 balls, he won the Player of the Match award.

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