Kishan over Samson? Ishan’s 20-ball blitz settles opening slot talk as India crush SA in warm-up

Ishan Kishan has all but potentially sealed his place at the top following his glitz and blitz against South Africa in India’s only warm-up fixture in the T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday (Feb 4). Kishan opened with Abhishek Sharma, with his team captain Suryakumar Yadav also hinting at sticking with the same combination heading into the showpiece event, possibly closing doors for under-fire Sanju Samson. However, his quick-fire start helped others to build on the momentum and post a massive score of 240 for six, eventually seeing India stand tall with 30 runs in the end.

India batted first and punished the South African bowlers inside the powerplay. The two left-handed openers took the attack to the opposition with disdain, scoring 80 runs inside the first six overs. Kishan completed his fifty by then, with the help of seven sixes. Abhishek Sharma also retired on 24*.

See Pics | Meet 5 highest run-scorers for India in warm-up game vs SA

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The middle order exploded big time, with Tilak Varma (45 off 19 balls), captain Suryakumar Yadav (30 from 16 deliveries) and Axar Patel (35* in 22 balls), all contributing. Returning Tilak Varma had the best strike rate of them all (236.84). However, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya’s late splurge of runs saw India post a mammoth 240 in the first innings.

While Rinku scored 16 in 13 balls, Pandya smashed three sixes and two fours in his 10-ball 30.

No Bumrah, no worries!

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India rested its ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah for all the right reasons, and even without him, the bowling attack did fairly well to keep the Proteas’ run chase under check, eventually beating them by 30 runs.

For South Africa, captain Aiden Markram’s form was a boost at the top, with Rya Rickelton's 21-ball 44 also coming in handy for the last time’s runners-up. In Quinton de Kock’s absence, the South African top order did enough, but it was the lower middle order that saved them from embarrassment.

Jason Smith (35), Tristan Stubbs (45*) and Marco Jansen (31) were among runs, but the target was too much as they surrendered by 30 runs.

Gautam Sodhi

Meet Gautam, a seasoned journalist with over eight years of experience in covering the world of sports. I am a self-proclaimed cricket fanatic, having a deep passion for the game a...Read More

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