Suryakumar Yadav confirmed Ishan Kishan will open with him in India's T20 World Cup 2026 opening match against the United States at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. The match will start at 7 00 PM Indian Standard Time. 
 
Suryakumar, who is captaining Team India in a warm-up game against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai,  said Kishan would open with Abhishek Sharma in the practice match against the Proteas. Kishan will also handle wicketkeeping duties.

Surya sa,d: “Going to bat first. I’ve heard there might be dew later on, so we want to challenge our bowlers. Want to test ourselves tonight. Definitely Ishan and Abhishek (to open).”
 
The decision shows that Sanju Samson will not be part of India's starting lineup for the match. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter performed poorly against New Zealand in the recent series, while Kishan achieved strong results. Kishan completed the five-game series with an explosive century in his final match.
 
Samson’s destiny was determined by that performance. India had little option but to choose Kishan over Samson, who had served as India’s second opener since the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kishan will move up to the number three position because Tilak Varma is expected to return, rn while he played that position against the Kiwis.

Surya added, “When you play the sport, it comes with a lot of responsibility. Pressure is always there. But at the same time, there are so many people coming out to support you. Gives you an extra advantage. Just want to follow what we’ve been doing in the last one and a half years. Continue those good habits.” 
 
India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav