New Zealand: Injured wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will be unavailable for the third T20 International against New Zealand as a precautionary measure, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Monday.
The 28-year-old had suffered a right adductor strain during the series-opener last week.
“Ishan is doing well. He will be training today. For tomorrow, I think he is not available for selection, just as a precaution,” Morkel said at the pre-match press conference here.
Right adductor is a group of muscles located on the inner side of the thigh.
Kishan had missed the second T20I as well, with teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replacing him in the playing XI.
Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra was added to the squad as cover for Kishan.
The BCCI also issued a press release, stating that Kishan is recovering well but hasn’t yet achieved match fitness.
“He is yet to regain match fitness and is ruled out of the third T20I to be played on October 27, 2026 in Wellington. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring Ishan’s progress.
Kumar Kushagra will continue to be with the team for the third T20I,” the BCCI said.
Arshdeep breaks Bhuvneshwar’s national record for most wickets in calender year
Meanwhile, Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh on Saturday, surpassed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s India record of capturing highest number of T20I wickets in a single calender year after finishing with 2 for 33 in the second game against New Zealand.
Arshdeep’s current tally for 2026 stands at 38, one more than Bhuvneshwar’s 37 scalps in the year 2022. Incidentally, that was also the year when the veteran Meerut pacer was dropped from the national team.
Arshdeep completed this milestone in 26 innings compared to Bhuvneshwar’s 31.
With three more matches left in the series, Arshdeep needs two more wickets to become the highest T20I wicket-taker in the world in a single calender year eclipsing Ireland’s Joshua Little, who took 39 in 2022. For the context, Little’s most of the scalps were against Associate Nations.
The 27-year-old, who primarily is a one-format bowler, had also taken 30 plus wickets on couple of previous occasions. In 2022, Arshdeep had taken 33 wickets while he took another 36 in 2024.
India lead the five-match series 2-0.
Henry out of T20I series versus India, Ferguson to miss third match
New Zealand have made several changes to their squad for the remaining matches of the T20I series against India, with pacers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry among those set to miss the third game due to niggles and workload management.
Ferguson will travel to Auckland on Sunday and rejoin the squad for the fourth and fifth T20Is at Eden Park and Seddon Park, respectively, while Henry will remain in Christchurch and link up with the ODI squad in Auckland on November 2.
Henry had bowled only two overs in the second T20I against India. Ferguson, too, had left the field as a precautionary measure and is likely to return for the final two games of the series.
“Those two are being assessed. They’ll go for some scans on Tuesday after the public holiday. We’ll have some more information as to where things stand. Obviously, like always, we’re just hoping for the best. That’ll allow for the quickest turnaround,” head coach Rob Walter said in a video shared by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Sunday.
Kyle Jamieson will stay in Wellington after the third T20I on Tuesday and turn out for Canterbury in the second round of the Ford Trophy at the Basin Reserve on October 31 before rejoining the national team for the ODI series.
Blair Tickner will join the T20I squad in Wellington for the final three matches, while Josh Clarkson will link up with the team in Auckland for the last two games.
Matt Fisher will travel with the squad to Wellington as cover for the third T20I before returning to the New Zealand A squad at Lincoln University on Wednesday.
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said his squad’s depth would help manage the workload of its fast bowlers during a busy summer schedule.
“It’s been a competitive start to the T20 series with two close games and plenty more cricket to come,” Walter said.
“We’re very fortunate with the depth in the squad to be able to call upon different players to help manage our pacers’ workloads and to try and ensure they’re best placed to perform for the team for all the cricket coming up,” he added.
[DD news]