Ishan Kishan opened the innings for India in their second Group A match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
against Namibia and scored 61 runs from just 24 balls. During his stay at the crease, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Patna, who represents Jharkhand in domestic cricket, slammed 6 fours and 5 sixes. He needed just 20 balls to reach the 50-run mark for the Indian team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.Ishan completed his fifty by scoring a four on the sixth ball of the sixth over of India’s innings bowled by JJ Smit.
The fifty by Ishan against Namibia helped him become the third Indian batter after Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Sharma to complete 50 within the first six overs of a T20I match for the Indian team on multiple occasions.
Rohit,
who played 159 T20I matches for India from 2007 to 2024, twice scored fifty within the first six overs of the innings, and Abhishek has crossed the 50-run mark three times within powerplay overs.
Ishan also now has two half-centuries to his credit in the first six overs of a T20I match for the Indian team.
Reaching 50 within Overs 1-6 for India in T20Is
- Abhishek Sharma – 3 times
- Rohit Sharma – 2 times
- Ishan Kishan -2 times
- KL Rahul – 1
- Yashasvi Jaiswal – 1
Scoring 50 within the powerplay in T20 WC for India
- 51 (21) – Rohit Sharma vs Australia, Gros Islet (2024)
- 50 (19) – KL Rahul vs Scotland, Dubai (2021)
- 50 (20) – Ishan Kishan vs Namibia, Delhi (2026)
The 20-ball fifty by Ishan on Thursday is the joint fourth-fastest half-century by an Indian batter in the T20 World Cup. The world record of scoring the fastest fifty in T20 World Cup history is in the name of Yuvraj Singh. During the 2007 India-England T20 World Cup match played in Durban on September 19, 2007, Yuvraj scored a half-century in just 12 balls.
Fastest 50s for India in T20 World Cup
| PLAYER | BALLS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Yuvraj Singh | 12 | England | Durban | September 19, 2007 |
| KL Rahul | 18 | Scotland | Dubai | November 5, 2021 |
| Rohit Sharma | 19 | Australia | Gros Islet | June 24, 2024 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 20 | Australia | Durban | September 22, 2007 |
| Ishan Kishan | 20 | Namibia | Delhi | February 12, 2026 |
Ishan, who opened the innings with Sanju Samson on Thursday, added 25 runs from 12 balls for the first wicket and stitched a partnership of 79 runs from just 31 balls for the second wicket with Tilak Varma, who made 25 runs from 21 balls with the help of 3 fours.
Ishan was sent back to the pavilion by Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus on the first ball of the eighth over of India’s innings.
