IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Ishan Kishan’s injury opens doors for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi; What does it mean for Sanju Samson?
The injury to Ishan Kishan has certainly opened the doors for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the second T20I for India against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. The 15-year-old has been warming the benches since India’s triumphant Asian Games 2026 campaign, with Sanju Samson being preferred at the top due to his experience and red-hot form.
But with Kishan suffering a low grade right adductor strain during the first T20I against New Zealand, the wicketkeeper-batter has been ruled out of the second game at the Hagley Oval, the BCCI announced on Friday. Kumar Kushagra has been added as a cover to the T20I side.
“Ishan Kishan is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low grade right adductor strain, which he sustained during the first T20I of the series,” BCCI said in a statement. Kushagra, who plays for Jharkhand and Gujarat Titans, is in New Zealand as a part of the India A side.
With no Kishan, Sooryavanshi is all likely to come into the Indian playing XI. However, it remains to be seen if the Indian think-tank wants to go with an extra spinner, considering the the success of New Zealand slow bowlers Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, who shared four wickets between them in the first game.
Earlier, after the first T20I, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak hinted at Sooryavanshi getting a place in the playing XI on Saturday. “”If Ishan doesn’t play, unless he recovers completely, which the medical team will advise, Vaibhav could definitely step in for him. He is one of the strongest contenders,” Kotak had told reporters in Christchurch on Thursday.
Where will Samson bat if Sooryavanshi plays?
In case Sooryavanshi plays, the Indian top-oder will see a major change with Sanju Samson being forced to drop at no.3 – a similar Indian top three that played at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. Samson has been in tremendous form in 2026. After he single-handedly guided India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title, there Kerala batter never stopped scoring.
He smashed a couple of hundreds in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings, before gping through a lean patch in England and Ireland. But the Indian opener bounced back with a string of half-centuries against Afghanistan, West Indies and now against New Zealand.
For the record, Samson’s success in T20Is came while batting as an opener as compared to his stats at no.3. Opening the batting, Samson scored 1200-plus runs in 42 matches. At no.3. Samson batted only seven times in his career, scoring a meagre 100 runs. In fact, during the Asian Games 2026, Samson returned with scores of 7 and 2.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings
Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest to make India debut at 15, played his last full-fledged series against Zimbabwe, where the southpaw won the Player of the Series award. Since then, the Rajasthan Royals opener warmed the benches against Afghanistan and West Indies at home. The left-hander played two matches at the Asian Games 2026 in between.
For India head coach Gautam Gambhir, Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his chances, as Samson and Abhishek are to be persisted with in the near future because of their experiences and past performances. “From Vaibhav’s point of view, it is again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has,” Gambhir said.
“We know what he can do. But again, someone who has done extremely well over a period of years obviously will always be ahead of someone who has just got into the team. Whenever he gets that chance, you will get a longer run as well,” Gambhir had said after the Afghanistan T20Is.
