India opener Ishan Kishan got both himself and the team off the mark with a six during Match 3 of the 2026 T20 World Cup against the United States of America (USA). The encounter is taking place on Saturday, February 7, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

USA left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar made a disciplined start, conceding four consecutive dot balls. Kishan eventually counterattacked on the penultimate ball of the opening over, dispatching a classy pick-up shot over deep backward square leg for a six.

The left-hander enters the tournament in fine touch. In the build-up to the World Cup, Kishan was in outstanding form during India’s five-match home T20I series against New Zealand, amassing 215 runs in four innings at an average of 53.75 and a remarkable strike rate of 231.18, which featured one half-century and a century.

Ishan Kishan & Tilak Varma Under Pressure After Abhishek Sharma’s Golden Duck
USA skipper Monank Patel won the toss and chose to field first. Ishan Kishan emphatically opened India’s account by launching a six off the fifth delivery of the innings. The early momentum was checked in the second over when Abhishek Sharma was sent back for a golden duck by Ali Khan.

Coming in at No. 3, Tilak Varma responded positively, taking on Saurabh Netravalkar in the third over with a six and two boundaries. At the time of writing, India were placed at 33/1 after four overs, with Kishan on 10 and Tilak unbeaten on 23.

Playing XIs of both teams:
India: Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Mohammed Siraj.

USA: Andries Gous (Wicketkeeper), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (Captain), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, and Ali Khan.