India confirm Sanju Samson T20 World Cup 2026 snub with latest Ishan Kishan move

Ishan Kishan was wicketkeeping in 5th T20I vs NZ [Source: JioHotstar]

The fifth T20I between India and New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram proved decisive for Ishan Kishan, sealing his spot as the opening batter and wicketkeeper for the forthcoming T20 World Cup at home, as he was seen donning the wicketkeeping gloves instead of Sanju Samson.

This move from India, the Indian management came right after the southpaw played a fantastic knock to clear all the doubts around who starts the upcoming T20 mega event for the defending champions.

Ishan Kishan seals the T20 World Cup spot

As the Indian team took on the Kiwis in their last match before the start of the T20 World Cup, it was a golden opportunity for Samson to do well at his home turf in Kerala and keep his place in the XI after a torrid series. However, the opener looked extremely off and only got 6 off 6 with a four before he got out to Lockie Ferguson.

Whilst Sanju failed, Ishan Kishan once again proved why he returned to the squad just ahead of the big tournament and scored a swashbuckling 103 off just 43 with 6 fours and 10 outrageous sixes to his name before he got out to Jacob Duffy in the 18th over.

Moments later, he was also seen entering the ground for the second innings with wicketkeeping gloves on instead of Sanju, who assumed these duties throughout the series, making it evdient that Kishan had overtaken the latter for the opening spot.

Notably, ahead of the start of this match, the right-hand batter was also the designated wicketkeeper in the team sheet, which eventually made things even clearer for the fans and experts that Ishan is the one who would stay in the team whenever Tilak Varma rejoins the squad.

vipul kashyap

@kashyapvipul

Sanju was the wicket keeper according to the team sheet but now it's Ishan behind wickets, so the message is clear ?? Sanju out Tilak Inn for the world cup @IamSanjuSamson @ishankishan51 @BCCI

Jan 31, 2026, 9:17 PM

Sanju Samson's lean patch continues

Samson had recently returned to the top of the batting order after spending a brief period in the middle-order to make room for Shubman Gill, which experiment eventually failed. However, upon returning, he did not look the same batter that looked set alongside Abhishek Sharma at the top.

Since returning as an opener, he only managed a 37 (22) and a shaky 24 (15) as his scores above 10 in 6 innings against South Africa and the Kiwis. At the same time, Ishan looked in supreme touch after his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy heroics and scored a 76 and 103 in this series, raising doubts over Sanju's place.

Ishan's century gets India to 3rd highest total

With the help of Ishan's ballistic knock, where he took on every New Zealand bowler, India posted a mammoth 271/5 in their 20 overs. This is the fourth instance when the Men in Blue scored over 250 in a T20I innings and the third-highest score in their history in the format.

Previously, they have scored 297 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad and 283 vs South Africa in Johannesburg. Apart from Ishan, Abhishek got 30 (16), followed by 63 (30) for Suryakumar Yadav and a quick cameo of 42 (17) for Hardik Pandya, making the visitors clueless.