India find WC template in NZ series
Suryakumar Yadav nodded in appreciation from the dugout when Abhishek Sharma creamed New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy for a six in the third ball of the first over during the fifth T20I.The Indian skipper was at the non-striker’s end when Ishan Kishan pulled a steep bouncer from Kyle Jamieson over square leg for a six, and once again he nodded in appreciation.
The reasons for his delight could have been
1. India have found an explosive new template to fuel their title defence in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
2. India now has a core team — Abhishek, Suryakumar, Kishan — at the top, capable of executing that strategy consistently. But Kishan’s is the warmest story among that group. He did not even have a BCCI central contract a year back. Now, he is no longer an outlier but a worthy piece in the management’s scheme of things.
Abhishek and Suryakumar too had struggles of their own, but they were largely on the field in nature.On the other hand, Kishan had to quell his inner demons as well, and going by the outings in the just-concluded five-match T20I rubber against New Zealand, he has done a marvellous job of it. The left-hander made 215 runs from four matches at a strike rate of 231.18.
Kishan’s strong statement: In a matter of four matches, Kishan has overtaken Sanju Samson as the primary choice for India’s wicketkeeper batter in the World Cup. Suryakumar detailed Kishan’s importance in this marauding batting line-up. “We always knew what Ishan Kishan brought to the table. We have seen how he played in domestic cricket just before this series. We always wanted him to bat the same way, not change his identity.
“I think he was opening (in domestic cricket), and here he batted at number 3. But we wanted him to be a game changer and whenever he took to the field, he batted that way. I think he has given a strong statement,” he said, hinting at the Jharkhand man opening with Abhishek in the World Cup. More importantly, Kishan’s addition to the top-order and hyper scoring-rate has taken the burden away from India’s middle-order, consisting of Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.
“I really enjoyed batting with Kishan and also with Abhishek Sharma since the first game. I think both of them, when they play together, they completely take the opposition out of the game. The pressure is also very less on the middle-order and the finishers,” he added. A glance at the fifth T20I here will offer a validation of Suryakumar’s observation.
When Pandya came to the crease in the 15th over, India were 185 for three, and there was no need for him to take any undue risks to accelerate the scoring, as Kishan, who made his maiden T20I hundred, had already laid a sound platform.
The Baroda man needed to play his natural game, and he did just that, making a risk-free 17-ball 42, driving the total to 271 which at times seemed to settle around 230-240. SKY is blue again: Suryakumar’s return to form too has played a significant role in India reshaping their approach in T20s. The Mumbaikar was the highest run-getter in the series with 242 runs, which were made at a strike-rate of 196.74, with three fifties.
He was delighted to be back among runs after an extended barren phase of 23 innings. “Obviously, feeling happy. It’s always good to get runs when you are leading a side, you always want to lead by example. I think in 2025 also it was the same Surya, this is also the same Surya. “It was just that I was out of runs. But feeling really good, in a good mental space, very happy with what’s happening around in the team,” he said.
Arshdeep to the fore: But then batting is not the only area where India has hit the jackpot. Arshdeep Singh took eight wickets to emerge as the highest wicket-taker in the series, no mean feat on grounds with flat pitches and short boundaries.
“It was a high scoring game when there was heavy dew. Batters will have an edge over the bowlers. But the way we came back after 7-8 overs, the game is not only won in the power play, it’s all about how you come back.” The left-arm pacer had conceded 40 runs in his first two overs as Finn Allen took him to the cleaners. But Arshdeep came up with a vastly improved effort in his final two overs — taking four wickets while conceding just 11 runs.
“The way they came back, Arshdeep, Varun, Axar and everyone. I was pleased. You always want to be having your A game on the grounds like this.” But the wicket was beautiful. It became even better with the dew, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. But the way they responded, I think it was good,” Suryakumar noted.
Arshdeep’s excellent effort (5/51) helped India tide over a rare off-day for Jasprit Bumrah - 4-0-58-0. Therefore it was of little surprise to hear the captain lauding the team’s ability to respond to various situations. “Whenever we win a game we also try to learn something out of it. Yeah, these five games were good prep before we start our World Cup campaign and me and boys are very excited,” he added.
