Selection was completely on gut...': Suryakumar Yadav breaks silence on picking Ishan Kishan over Jitesh Sharma in T20 World Cup squad

India wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan was out of the national setup for more than two years, but his iconic performance in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand helped him to make his international comeback. The 27-year-old was picked ahead of Jitesh Sharma for India’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January 2026 and later for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Why Ishan Kishan picked over Jitesh?

The decision to pick Ishan over Jitesh, who had been part of India’s Asia Cup-winning team last year, surprised many. But according to India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, it was a gut feeling combined with data that guided the selection. In a recent interview with PTI, Surya admitted he felt sad leaving out Jitesh.

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“It (Ishan’s selection) was completely on gut and a little bit on data as well because it was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma at that time because he was with the team for the last 1-1.5 years and he was playing as well. It’s not like he was not playing. If he was not playing, the story would have been different. I was very sad when we had to pick Ishan over Jitesh. But then if we had to bring some firepower in the top, if we had to do the openers left-right or if we had to pick the top two wicketkeepers, someone had to miss out," Surya said.

“It was very harsh on Jitesh Sharma because he had been with the team for the last one to one-and-a-half years and was performing well. But if we wanted to add some firepower at the top and balance left-right openers or pick the top two wicketkeepers, someone had to miss out,” he explained.

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Suryakumar Yadav called Ishan Kishan

Surya also revealed how he personally called Ishan before confirming the selection.

“I just asked him, ‘Chotu, World Cup jitayega?’ (Will you win the World Cup?), and he replied, ‘Bass bharosa kar ke dekhiye’ (just trust me). I said, ‘Chal, kiya bharosa’ (okay, I trust you), and the way he played – it was amazing,” Surya recalled.

According to the captain, Ishan brought the X-factor India needed right from the New Zealand series.

“He had no baggage. When he left the team 1–1.5 years ago, he went home, reflected on his journey, and kept playing domestic cricket everywhere in India. He performed in practice matches, domestic tournaments, and the IPL. He completely deserved his spot,” Surya added.

Ishan Kishan's T20 World Cup 2026 performance

Ishan Kishan played a crucial role for India in T20 World Cup 2026. He finished the tournament as India's second-highest run-scorer with 317 runs across nine matches as India defeated New Zealand to defend the title.