Why is Ishan Kishan opening ahead of Sanju Samson against South Africa in warm-up match of T20 World Cup 2026?

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, India play their lone warm-up match against South Africa.

India face South Africa in their sole official warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 4, 2026, at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat first, citing the prospect of dew later in the evening to challenge the bowlers.

This high-stakes practice game serves as a final tune-up for both teams, with India entering on a high after a dominant 4-1 T20I series win over New Zealand. The match gives one last opportunity to test combinations, particularly in the batting order, with all squad members available.

Key focus areas include the opening slot and middle-order stability, as India prepare for their tournament opener. Meanwhile, South Africa, who play all their initial matches in India, will be able to test how their players fare against arguably the best team of the competition.

Why is Ishan Kishan opening against South Africa?

Ishan Kishan opened the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma in the warm-up clash, officially marking the management’s shift from Sanju Samson, who had been the preferred opener leading into the tournament before the India vs New Zealand series.

The primary reason stems from Samson’s poor form in the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where he managed only 46 runs across five innings, including multiple single-digit scores. This slump put his spot under intense scrutiny, especially with Tilak Varma set to return to his preferred No. 3 position upon full fitness.

In contrast, Ishan Kishan made a sensational comeback as a late addition to the squad. He amassed 215 runs in the New Zealand series at a blistering strike rate of over 230, including a match-winning century (103 off 43 balls) in the final game.

His explosive batting, aggressive left-handed style, and ability to dominate matches from the top order have significantly strengthened his claim.

The team management, including captain Suryakumar Yadav, opted for Kishan to open in the warm-up to evaluate this in-form combination with Abhishek Sharma, signaling a preference for current momentum over past selections.

“Going to bat first. I’ve heard there might be dew later on, so we want to challenge our bowlers. Want to test ourselves tonight. Definitely Ishan and Abhishek (to open). When you play the sport, it comes with a lot of responsibility.

Pressure is always there. But at the same time, there’s so many people coming out to support you. Gives you an extra advantage”, said Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the toss.

This move essentially serves as a trial, indicating Kishan has overtaken Samson for the opening role due to superior recent performances and the need for a high-impact start in T20 cricket. Samson remains in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper-batter.

India’s available players for the warm-up-

Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav.

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