No Sanju Samson! Ishan Kishan opens batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in T20 World Cup warm-up game vs South Africa

Sanju Samson’s dismal outing in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand seems to have cost him his place in India’s playing XI. After Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up game against South Africa, he mentioned that Ishan Kishan will be opening the batting alongside the in-form Abhishek Sharma.

Kishan made his comeback to the Indian T20I team after more than two years during the series against the Kiwis. While Sanju struggled for runs, Kishan took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners with some breathtaking batting.

In five innings, Samson could only aggregate 46 runs at an average of 9.20. On the other hand, Kishan finished second on the list of highest run-scorers, as he amassed 215 runs in four innings at an average of 53.75 and a strike rate of 231.18. This included a sparkling century in the final T20I at Samson’s homeground – Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter batted at No. 3 during the series.

In the warm-up game against South Africa, the fit-again Tilak Varma is expected to bat at No. 3, and as a result, Kishan has been promoted up the order, with Samson sitting out.

“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. Just want to follow what we’ve been doing in the last one and a half years. Continue those good habits,” Suryakumar said at the toss.

Meanwhile, South African captain Aiden Markram said he was happy to bowl first and mentioned that this game would give them a chance to get acclimatised to the conditions.

“Happy to bowl. Nice opportunity tonight, back in India, get accustomed to conditions here. Pretty certain (about the XI). Conditions will dictate one spot. Pretty clear on how we’d like to start,” Markram said.