WATCH| Ishan Kishan's First Reaction After Being Picked Up For T20 World Cup 2026

On December 20, 2025, BCCI announced the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which will also play the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The squad came as a surprise to many as it saw vice-captain Shubman Gill being dropped from the team.

Will Gill dropped, Ishan Kishan was brought back in the India squad after his impressive knock against Haryana, leading Jharkhand to the SMAT title in the finals on December 18. Notably, the Jharkhand skipper became the first captain to score a ton in an SMAT final. He ended the tournament as its highest scorer with 571 runs.

Ishan Kishan Reacts To World Cup 2026 Call-up

The player marked his return to the T20 format for the first time since 2023 against Australia in Guwahati. While reacting to the call-up in a video posted by ANI, Kishan responded, "It feels good to be picked in the squad. I'm very happy. I know, and I am very happy about it... Thank you."

Kishan has registered 796 runs in 32 innings in the T20 format with a strike rate of 124.37. Ishan is the second wicket-keeper in the squad, as Sanju Samson will be the preferred choice behind the wicket.

While talking about Kishan's selection, chief selector Ajit Agarkar shared, "He bats at the top in white-ball cricket, and he’s been in good form. He played before for India. He wasn't in the Indian team because there is a Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant ahead of him. We felt a keeper at the top gives us more solidity."

ALSO READ- Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar Clarifies Why Ishan Kishan Is Included In T20 World Cup Squad: 'We Felt A Keeper At The Top...'

Watch The Video Here

India World Cup T20 Squad

India's squad for the upcoming World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.