Ishan Kishan ruled out of the 2nd T20I with a groin strain: why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should finally get his chance

Ishan Kishan will miss India's second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. The BCCI said on Friday that he has a "low grade right adductor strain", an injury to the inner-thigh muscle that most reports describe as a groin strain, and that "the BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress".

He picked it up in the series opener at Hagley Oval on Thursday, which India won by chasing 226, their highest successful chase in T20Is. The BCCI did not give a timeline for his return or say whether he is doubtful for the rest of the series.

Why Tilak Varma batted at No. 3

The injury answers the biggest question from Thursday's match. Kishan had batted at No. 3 in every game of the West Indies series, but in Christchurch Tilak Varma walked out at No. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, and Kishan only came in at No. 5. He made 1 off 3 balls before he was caught off Mitchell Santner.

India did not explain the change on the night, and we wondered in our match analysis whether it was a plan to handle New Zealand's spinners. It was not. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Friday that Kishan was not fully fit. "Just because Ishan had a strain in his groin, the batting order was changed," he said, according to reports from India's press conference.

Some reports say he hurt himself while fielding during New Zealand's innings. That would explain why India kept him away from the high-pressure overs in the middle of the chase.

Is there a replacement in the squad?

India have not called anyone up. They do not need to: the T20I squad has 16 players, and only 11 played on Thursday. Kishan is also not India's wicketkeeper in this series. Sanju Samson keeps, so his absence leaves a hole in the batting, not behind the stumps.

India's T20I squad for New Zealand:

• Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk, injured), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

That leaves two real options to replace a top-order batter: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shivam Dube.

Option 1: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Kotak all but named him on Friday. "Vaibhav could definitely step in for him. He is one of the strongest contenders," he said.

The 15-year-old has played 8 T20Is for India and made 246 runs at a strike rate of 186.36, with two fifties. He scored 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. But he has not played since the Asian Games semi-final and final, and sat out all five T20Is against West Indies and the opener in Christchurch. Before this series, Iyer said Vaibhav would have to wait because "our openers are also scoring consistently".

Vaibhav is an opener, so picking him means moving someone. The likely plan is the one India used at the Asian Games: Vaibhav and Abhishek Sharma open, and Sanju Samson drops to No. 3.

Option 2: Shivam Dube

The other choice is to leave the top order alone. Abhishek and Samson keep opening, Tilak stays at No. 3, and Dube comes into the middle order.

There is a case for this. Samson made 67 off 33 on Thursday and he and Abhishek put on 93 in less than six overs, so there is no reason to break up the opening pair. Tilak also has two T20I hundreds batting at No. 3. And Dube would give Iyer a sixth bowling option on a ground where all five Indian bowlers went for 40 or more on Thursday.

Our pick: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

We would pick Vaibhav, for three reasons.

It is a like-for-like swap. Kishan's job in this side has been to keep the scoring rate high after the powerplay. Against West Indies he made 153 runs at No. 3 at a strike rate of 191. Vaibhav is the only batter in the squad who can play that role at the same speed. Dube is a finisher, and India already have Axar Patel, Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the last few overs.

India have done it before. Abhishek, Vaibhav and Samson was India's top three in the Asian Games semi-final and final. Samson has batted at No. 3 for India before and can handle the move. It also puts Tilak back at No. 5, where he scored 122 runs off 65 balls against West Indies. He made 6 off 11 at No. 3 on Thursday.

He has waited long enough. Vaibhav has been on the bench for six straight T20Is. With Kishan out and the series lead already in hand, Saturday is the right time to play him. Leaving him out again for a seaming all-rounder would say the selectors don't trust him at all.

The risk is that Samson, the player of the match on Thursday, is moved out of the role where he is in form. But Samson goes back to opening as soon as Kishan is fit, and one game at No. 3 is a small price for finding out what Vaibhav can do in New Zealand conditions.

IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: India's likely XI

• Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav

If India go with Dube instead: Abhishek, Samson, Tilak, Iyer, Dube, Axar, Dhir, Nitish, Bhuvneshwar, Arshdeep, Mayank.

The other change to watch is in the bowling. Bhuvneshwar went for 49 in his comeback game, and Varun Chakaravarthy is in the squad as a mystery spinner after New Zealand's spinners did well on Thursday. India could bring Varun in for one of the seamers.

Will Kishan be fit for the ODIs?

This is the bigger question. Kishan is in India's squads for the whole ODI series that follows: he is one of the two keepers for the first three games, and the keeper and vice-captain for the last two. The first ODI is at Eden Park on 4 November, 12 days after he was hurt.

A low-grade strain is the mildest kind, and the BCCI has only ruled him out of one match so far. The next T20I is in Wellington on 27 October, so India have three days after Saturday to see how he recovers. The safest plan is probably to rest him for one or two more T20Is so he is fully fit for the ODIs, where India need him behind the stumps. If he is not fit by then, Kumar Kushagra, the second keeper in the later ODI squad, is the obvious cover.

What comes next

The 2nd T20I is at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Saturday, 24 October, at 12:30 PM IST. India lead the five-match series 1-0. It is live on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV in India.

Remaining T20Is:

• 3rd T20I: Tuesday, 27 October, Hnry Stadium, Wellington
• 4th T20I: Friday, 30 October, Eden Park, Auckland
• 5th T20I: Sunday, 1 November, Seddon Park, Hamilton

Follow the 2nd T20I live on TryBall: toss, playing XIs, live score and where to watch.