Ahead of the first T20I match against New Zealand, India captain Suryakumar Yadav has said that left-handed batter Ishan Kishan will bat in the pivotal number three position. During the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, India T20I captain Suryakumar said that Kishan is part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad and has been doing well in domestic cricket. “Ishan Kishan will play at the number three position. He is part of the T20 World Cup team and has been doing well in domestic cricket. So I feel he deserves to play ahead. I think Ishan is our best bet at number 3,” he said. The first clash of the five-match New Zealand series will be played at Nagpur on Wednesday. In T20Is, Kishan has played four matches at the number three position. The 27-year-old amassed 114 runs at an average of 28.50, including two fifties.