Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in contention to replace injured Ishan Kishan in second NZ T20I

Christchurch: Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the second T20 International of the series against New Zealand. Kishan sustained a thigh muscle strain, specifically on his right adductor, during the first game of the series here on Wednesday.

"Ishan Kishan is ruled out of the second T20I against New Zealand due to a low-grade right adductor strain, which he sustained during the first T20I of the series," confirmed BCCI in a post on its official X handle.

"The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," it added. The period of absence remains unclear since the post did not specify how long it would take for Kishan to recover. Kishan's absence suggests 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might get his opportunity to feature in the upcoming fixture.

Despite proven with impressive performances as an opener, it remains unlikely for the youngster to replace Sanju Samson or Abhishek Sharma in the batting order considering the explosive powerplay partnerships tallied by the opening pair in recent fixtures.

At the beginning of the ongoing series, India captain Shreyas Iyer also stated that while Sooryavanshi will get his chances in due course, he cannot "walk" into the team given how consistent the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson has been for the side. If chosen to start the next game, Vaibhav might be deployed at number 3 in the batting order after Sanju and Abhishek.
(With PTI Inputs).