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Skipper says instinct, not just data, led him to pick Kishan for World Cup
New Delhi
India captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that his decision to include explosive wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan in the T20 World Cup squad was purely instinctive, guided by a “gut feeling” that the Bihar batsman could be the X-factor for India’s title defence. Kishan, who had been out of the team for a while, repaid his skipper’s faith by scoring 317 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of over 190, including a blistering half-century in the final against New Zealand.
Suryakumar admitted that the decision was difficult, as regular opener Jitesh Sharma had been part of the team for over a year. “It was completely on gut, little bit on data… someone had to miss out,” he said, adding that Kishan had “no baggage” and had worked tirelessly in domestic and practice games to stay in contention.
Suryakumar also highlighted another key call: the inclusion of Sanju Samson in the opening slot. Samson’s back-to-back scores of 89 in the semifinals and final were decisive in India winning their second consecutive World Cup, earning him player of the tournament honours. The skipper praised Samson not only for his talent but for his character, saying, “If you are a great human being, good things happen to good people.”
On his own approach to batting, Suryakumar said he is largely reaction-driven: reading the bowler and responding instinctively. “Seventy to seventy-five per cent approach in batting is driven by reaction and the rest is your instinct. On a given day, you assess what it needed from you and bat accordingly,” he explained.
Kishan’s explosive contributions and Samson’s consistency proved pivotal, vindicating Suryakumar’s instinctive selection choices and underlining the importance of intuition alongside data in high-stakes cricket. India’s triumph reflected careful planning, bold decisions, and players stepping up when it mattered most.