Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav make mockery of New Zealand's 208 as India send World Cup warning

RAIPUR: Two months ago, Ishan Kishan was nowhere close to getting into the Indian team. A little over a month ago, he brought himself back into contention after guiding Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and finishing as the top-scorer in the tournament with a century in the final. The showing convinced selectors to include him in the T20 World Cup team. Luck continued to shine on the left-hander when he was slotted in at No. 3 in place of Tilak Varma, who was ruled out of the first three matches of the T20I series due to injury.While he failed in the opening match in Nagpur, on Friday, he displayed why he is one of the fiercest hitters of a cricket ball in the country. By the time the 27-year-old was done with his fireworks, he had hammered a 32-ball 76 with the help of 11 fours and four sixes, as India made a mockery of the 209-run target by chasing it down with seven wickets in hand and 4.4 overs to spare.On his way back, skipper Suryakumar, who was enjoying the blitzkrieg from the other end, acknowledged the effort put in by his former Mumbai Indians teammate by giving him a hug on his way back to the dugout. His seventh T20I halfcentury came at a strike rate of 237.5.India were in deep trouble when openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were back in the pavilion in the first seven balls. But Kishan straightaway counterattacked to reverse the pressure on the Kiwi bowlers. Kishan and Suryakumar (82*, 37b; 9x4, 4x6) shared a 49-ball 122-run stand for the third wicket, and by the time the former’s innings ended in the 10th over, when Ish Sodhi dismissed him, the required run rate was below eight runs per over.Thereafter, India applied the finishing touches to take a 2-0 lead, and Suryakumar and Shivam Dube did exactly that with their unbroken 37-ball 81-run association for the fourth wicket to see the Men in Blue through. It was Suryakumar’s first halfcentury since the 75 he scored against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in Oct 2024. Dube played his part to perfection with his 18-ball 36.Earlier, New Zealand got off to a flying start, but the Indian bowling unit pegged them back with some smart bowling. The visitors got off to a cracking start, with Devon Conway (19, 9b; 3x4, 1x6) and Tim Seifert (24, 13b; 5x4), reaching 43/0 by the third over, but Harshit Rana (1/25) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/35) halted New Zealand in their tracks as they ensured both their openers return to the pavilion.