Correspondent, 23 October: The Indian squad has undergone a major adjustment ahead of tomorrow's second T20 match against New Zealand. Following a historic victory in the series opener, Team India has been dealt a blow with star opening batsman Ishan Kishan sidelined by injury. Official information provided by the BCCI confirms that Kishan will be unavailable for the upcoming game.
The wicketkeeper-batter sustained an injury to his right inner thigh muscle during the first T20 encounter, ruling him out of Saturday's fixture. The BCCI's medical team is actively monitoring his health status, with expectations that he will recover quickly and make his return to the squad. In his absence, the selection committee has drafted Kumar Kushagra into the team as a replacement player.
A BCCI press release detailed that Kushagra is currently stationed in Christchurch with the 'India A' team, and he has been integrated into the Indian T20 setup from there. However, it remains unclear whether he will secure a direct spot in the final playing eleven for the second match.
With Kishan out of the picture, alterations to India's playing XI are certain. Coach Sitanshu Kotak has hinted that Vaibhav Suryavanshi might be given an opportunity to play in the second T20 match. Indian cricket fans are now watching closely to see which players will earn the preference of captain Shreyas Iyer.
The Indian squad for the second match includes: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper).
