Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Ishan Kishan has sealed his opening slot ahead of Sanju Samson for the T20 World Cup 2026. If there was any doubt regarding Kishan’s opening position in the tournament, it was quashed on Wednesday.

Kishan opened with Abhishek Sharma and retired out after scoring 53 runs off just 20 balls in the warm-up match against South Africa at Navi Mumbai. The left-hander smashed two fours and seven sixes in his blistering knock as he batted with a strike rate of 265, whereas Sanju Samson didn’t get to bat. Kishan and Abhishek added 80 runs off just 34 balls for the opening alliance.

Kishan recently scored 215 runs in four matches against the Kiwis at an average of 53.75 and a whirlwind strike rate of 231.18, whereas Samson could only manage 46 runs in five games at an average of 9.20.

“Absolutely. I mean, sealed the deal, completely—no questions asked,” Chopra told the broadcasters after the match.

Chopra said Samson is unlikely to get his chances in the World Cup but he might receive his opportunity if a player gets injured or ill.

“Someone could get injured, someone could wake up with a fever in the morning, or there could be a loss of form—then you’d want to push him in, and that can happen.

“It’s also possible that he doesn’t even get to bat at his natural position, because he’s the only batter who might have to bat anywhere. So today was an opportunity—if he had scored runs as well, it would’ve been perfect,” Chopra added.

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.