India have been handed an injury scare ahead of their opening T20I against Afghanistan, with Ishan Kishan appearing to hurt his back during a practice session in Delhi on Friday, September 11.
Kishan, who recently led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy title, was batting in the nets when he attempted to evade a bouncer from Navdeep Saini, who was bowling as a net bowler. The wicketkeeper-batter appeared to be in discomfort immediately afterwards.
The Indian team physios rushed over to check on Kishan, who did not continue batting after the incident. The scare came towards the end of his 45-minute net session.
There was some relief for the Indian camp, however, as Kishan was able to walk off the field without assistance. He was later seen sitting on an ice box alongside his teammates before leaving the ground. The initial visuals did not suggest a major injury, although the extent of the problem will become clearer after assessment.
Kishan was in impressive touch
Before the incident, Kishan looked comfortable at the crease and played his shots with confidence during his extended net session. He batted alongside captain Shreyas Iyer, while Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi were also seen batting together.
The latter pairing could be significant as India weigh their options for the opening position ahead of Sunday’s series opener.
Kishan has become an important part of India’s T20I setup since returning to the squad. His strong performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year helped him earn another opportunity with the national side ahead of the T20 World Cup.
He has enjoyed an excellent 2026 campaign, scoring 812 runs in 23 T20Is, which puts him second among the leading run-scorers in the format this year.
India will be hoping Kishan’s back problem is only a minor setback. His availability is also important beyond the Afghanistan series, with the wicketkeeper-batter expected to travel to Japan as part of India’s Asian Games squad.
India will take on Afghanistan in the first T20I on Sunday, September 13.
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