On Thursday, Ishan Kishan made history by becoming the first Indian batsman and wicketkeeper to reach the half-century mark in the T20 World Cup. The 27-year-old hit a scorching 61 off just 24 balls to accomplish the mark during the match against Namibia in New Delhi. The famous MS Dhoni set the previous record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter in a T20 World Cup when he defeated South Africa in 2007 with 45 off 33 balls.
Indian wicketkeeper-batters’ highest individual scores at T20 World Cups:
Ishan Kishan – 61 (24) vs Namibia, 2026*
MS Dhoni – 45 (33) vs South Africa, 2007
Rishabh Pant – 42 (31) vs Pakistan, 2024
Rishabh Pant – 39 (30) vs Pakistan, 2021
MS Dhoni – 36 (18) vs Australia, 2007
Kishan rediscovered his stride as India reached 209-9 with a high-stakes match against bitter rivals Pakistan coming up in Colombo this Sunday. Varun Chakravarthy scored a superb 3/7 from two overs as Namibia was bowled out for 116 in response. With this victory, India surpasses its opponents on net run-rate and joins Pakistan with two wins from two games in Group A.
Chakravarthy claimed two more wickets in his second over after hitting Louren Steenkamp for 29 with his opening delivery. Axar Patel, a fellow spinner, took two wickets, notably Malan Kruger (5), when Jasprit Bumrah made a high diving catch at short.
Near the end of the game, Hardik Pandya captured two wickets in two balls and also helped score a fast-paced fifty-two with the bat. The innings ended quickly in 18.2 overs, but the hat-trick was avoided.
An important step occurred late Tuesday when the Pakistani government revoked its order for the cricket team to boycott Sunday’s match, which was initially meant to be a protest against Bangladesh’s exclusion from the competition. Either team would advance to the Super Eight stage with a victory on Sunday.
