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Why Ishan Kishan Was Picked Over Jitesh Sharma: Indian team’s wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan got a chance to return to Team India after two years. He was selected in the series against New Zealand before the T20 World Cup and everyone knows what he did thereafter. Captain Suryakumar Yadav told why Ishaan was selected instead of Jitesh Sharma.
Why did Suryakumar Yadav choose Ishan Kishan, how did he return after 2 years?
New Delhi. Ishan Kishan, who performed brilliantly in the ICC T20 World Cup, was not a part of the Indian team for the last two years. The victory of 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand opened the doors of the team for him. The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was selected in the Indian team in place of Jitesh Sharma. He was given a chance in the five-match T20 series against New Zealand in January 2026. After this he was included in the team for ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Choosing Ishaan instead of Jitesh Sharma was a surprise for everyone. According to India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, the decision to select Ishaan was based on his ‘gut feeling’. Speaking to news agency PTI, Suryakumar said that he was sad when India had to choose Ishaan over Jitesh. This decision was taken keeping in mind Ishaan’s abilities and his contribution to the team.
Suryakumar Yadav said, “Ishaan’s selection was completely based on gut feeling and a little data as well. At that time, it was a very tough decision for Jitesh Sharma. He was with the team for the last one and a half years and was also playing. It was not that he was not playing. If he had not been playing, the story would have been different.
VIDEO | PTI EXCLUSIVE: Indian T20 cricket team captain and two-time ICC T20 World Cup champion Suryakumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar), when asked about his decision to pick Ishan Kishan in the 2026 T20 WC squad, says, “The decision was largely based on instinct, though there was also… pic.twitter.com/tRgGcqwYNd