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Ishan Kishan ruled out of second T20I in Christchurch with adductor strain
The BCCI said the wicketkeeper-batter hurt his right adductor in India's record chase on Thursday. India, 1-0 up, play New Zealand again at Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Key points
- Ishan Kishan has a low-grade right adductor strain and will miss Saturday's second T20I.
- India lead the five-match series 1-0 after chasing 226 in the opener.
- The second match starts at 12:30 pm IST on Saturday at Hagley Oval.
India will be without Ishan Kishan for the second Twenty20 international against New Zealand on Saturday after the wicketkeeper-batter strained a muscle in Thursday’s record-breaking win in Christchurch.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Friday that Kishan “is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low-grade right adductor strain”, adding: “The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.” The board did not name a replacement.
The news was not a surprise. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had already warned after the opening match that the 28-year-old was struggling. “Ishan has a slight groin niggle. I feel tomorrow’s match is also unlikely,” Kotak said.
A quiet night in a famous chase
Kishan had little part in India’s four-wicket win at Hagley Oval. Batting at No. 5 in the chase of 226, he made one before Mitchell Santner removed him. The game was won around him: Sanju Samson hit 67 off 33 balls, captain Shreyas Iyer made 42 off 28 and Naman Dhir finished it with 42 not out off 15, with two balls to spare.
New Zealand had posted 225 for four, their highest T20I total at home, built on Glenn Phillips’s unbeaten 82 off 40 and 45 off 24 from Finn Allen. Phillips was frank afterwards about the challenge of bowling to India’s batters. “You’ve got to have every plan under the sun,” he said.
Iyer was full of praise for Dhir, the young Punjab batter who sealed the chase. “He gives us a lot of options, was magnificent to see him bat,” the captain said.
What Kishan’s absence means
Kishan, who has 1,955 runs in 67 T20Is at an average of 31.03 and a strike rate of 148.55, is also in India’s one-day squad for the tour, so the medical team will be keen not to rush him. His absence takes one option out of a middle order that Iyer has been shuffling around his openers.
What comes next
The second match is at Hagley Oval again on Saturday 24 October, starting at 12:30 pm IST (8 pm in New Zealand), like every game in the series. The teams then move to Wellington for the third match on 27 October, Auckland’s Eden Park on 30 October and Hamilton’s Seddon Park on 1 November.
India’s tour of New Zealand also includes one-day internationals and two Tests, and an India A side starts a four-day match against New Zealand A in Lincoln on Saturday.