IND vs NZ: Ishan Kishan Smashes Half-Century, Becomes India's Third-Fastest To 2,000 T20I Runs

Ishan Kishan rediscovered his explosive touch with a sensational half-century against New Zealand in the fifth T20I at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Sunday, November 1, while also achieving a significant career milestone.

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter smashed 61 off just 32 deliveries, providing India with much-needed momentum after the early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. His innings featured aggressive strokeplay and powerful hitting, putting the New Zealand bowlers under sustained pressure.

Kishan also combined with captain Shreyas Iyer to take apart Michael Bracewell during the ninth over, with the Indian duo plundering 27 runs. The assault helped India regain control of the innings after losing two early wickets as Sanju Samson (4) and Abhishek Sharma (1) fell cheaply. Kishan missed out the last couple of matches due to an injury, but his return to the side saw him continuing his recent rich vein of form.

Ishan Kishan reaches New Milestone

The knock was particularly significant as Kishan crossed the 2,000-run mark in T20 Internationals, becoming only the seventh Indian batter to achieve the landmark.

He also entered the record books as India's third-fastest batter to reach 2,000 T20I runs in terms of deliveries faced, accomplishing the feat in 1,345 balls. Only Abhishek Sharma (1,024 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (1,164 balls) have reached the milestone quicker among Indian batters.

India post sub-200 Total

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bowl, and India posted 191/8 in their full quota of 20 overs. Apart from Kishan's fifty, Shreyas Iyer also scored a half-century. Naman Dhir played a decent knock of 33 at the end but the Indian team failed to go past the 200 mark.