Ishan Kishan has been in sublime form. Image Credits: AFP
Ishan Kishan is in the form of his life. After proving his mettle in domestic cricket, the southpaw made a smooth international comeback and helped India win the T20 World Cup 2026.
From then on, Kishan enjoyed a brilliant IPL 2026 and has now replaced Rishabh Pant as the second wicketkeeper-batter in the ODI squad. The selectors are trying to maximise his purple patch across white-ball formats.
How Ishan Kishan has a chance to seal his World Cup 2027 spot
Intriguingly, Ishan Kishan’s issues began after the previous World Cup in 2023 at home, but he has found his way back before another edition. More importantly, team management has been looking for ways to include him in the XI, as was visible against Afghanistan.
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In Virat Kohli’s absence, Kishan batted at No.3, when India could have tried Yashasvi Jaiswal. He also kept wickets ahead of KL Rahul during the fielding innings.
That’s precisely what he offers - the ability to perform multiple roles with the bat, along with his wicketkeeping skills. In ODIs, he has batted everywhere between opening and No.5 for India.
Ishan Kishan has been terrific in every role
As an opener, Ishan Kishan has been fabulous, with 495 runs at an average of 61.87 and a strike rate of 121.92 in nine outings. He also has three fifties and a double century.
Meanwhile, at No.3, Kishan has 197 runs at an average of 39.40 and a strike rate of 115.88 in five outings, with two half-centuries. The wicketkeeper-batter has also played eigh innings at No.4 and four innings at No.5.
So, he understands how to bat at various spots and adapt to different match situations in the 50-over format. Kishan is also a middle-order batter for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and has enough experience in the role.
Recent improvements
Ishan Kishan’s biggest reason for his comeback has been his improvements against pace in white-ball cricket. He has expanded his off-side range and is no longer vulnerable to the channel line.
Earlier, Kishan succumbed to any movement into or away, which meant he could never strike big against quality bowling. He stood a bit too side-on, which restricted his bat flow and access to various positions.
However, he has now opened his stance, and his bat now comes from a straighter path. Hence, Kishan can counter movement and access off side more freely against high-pace bowling too.
The results are immediate. Ishan Kishan has an average of 41.35 and a strike rate of 196.91 against pace in T20s in 2026.
Ishan Kishan has improved massively vs pace
Additionally, he has a balls-per-boundary ratio of 3.05 deliveries. Between 2024 and 2025, his average was a mere 28, and he could strike at just 156.80 against fast bowlers, taking around 4.07 balls for every boundary.
How Ishan Kishan could be valuable for World Cup 2027
In the current setup, most spots in the batting department are already taken. However, India still need backups ready for an opening and a middle-order slot.
This requirement arises in case Rohit Sharma doesn’t make it to the mega edition or any other batter gets injured. Now Ishan Kishan does all these roles while also acting as a wicketkeeper-batter.
In the current setup, only KL Rahul can play this role of being flexible and possessing the experience of various batting roles. Rishabh Pant hasn’t improved in white-ball cricket, and his faulty technique and limited range make him highly vulnerable.
The Men in Blue need another flexible option for the mega event. Ishan Kishan’s improvements against pace have come just at the right time.
India will tour England and New Zealand before playing the World Cup in South Africa. In all three countries, pace-hitters will be more important, and India have a few issues in this role.
Apart from KL Rahul, other middle and lower middle-order batters have their issues against quality pace bowling. Kishan is also an LHB and could act as an RHB-splitter in India’s ODI side, which has an all-RHB top six in a full-strength XI.
No wonder India are investing heavily in Ishan Kishan since his comeback. He could well take the second wicketkeeper-batter slot for the mega event next year, should he continue his sublime form.
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