India were put in to bat first in the rain-reduced 5th T20I against West Indies at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The hosts dominated the start of the match and had social media buzz about the batters.
Persistent drizzle meant that the match was cut to just nine overs per side. Abhishek Sharma fell early for 6, but Ishan Kishan exploded with a terrific 30 off just 10 balls including three fours, two sixes at a strike rate of 300, helping India past 45 inside the powerplay.
Sanju Samson scored a quick 16 off 7 before getting bowled. Captain Shreyas Iyer then struggled for fluency and scored 22 off 14 before departing, with Tilak Varma also at the crease as the innings progressed amid regular wickets. India raced along at over 14 runs per over early on but kept losing wickets.
Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson earn praise as Netizens react to India’s Batting
Fans praised Ishan Kishan’s fearless cameo as the standout moment. Posts celebrated his 30 off 10 as the perfect platform in a nine-over game, with comments like “What a cameo! A short but impactful knock, played with fearless intent and posts that he did his job by making full use of the powerplay.” Sanju Samson’s brief explosive knock also got praise for the intent shown before his dismissal.
🚨 ISHAN KISHAN HAS HIT A SIX OUT OF CHINNASWAMY 🥶🔥 https://t.co/9MgdY8saZp
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 17, 2026
Great cameo from Ishan Kishan. Bro did his job by making full use of the powerplay in this shortened game. https://t.co/QoPRGdK7A0
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) October 17, 2026
Ishan Kishan smashed 24 runs in an over off Romario Shepherd. Pocket Dynamo is on fire. https://t.co/VO4HDcMxbR
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) October 17, 2026
ISHAN KISHAN IN LAST 3 FINALS:
– 101(149) In SMAT Final.
– 54(25) in T20 World Cup Final.
– 270(334) in Duleep Trophy Final.
– 30(10) in T20I series Decider.The Clutch Man, Ishan Kishan. 🫡 https://t.co/1vKMWH0J35
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 17, 2026
A CRAZY SHOT BY SANJU SAMSON 😍🔥 https://t.co/pztJ0oNLy5
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 17, 2026
Shreyas Iyer was trying to muscle the ball too much. https://t.co/Ca4S9d1QYv
— Bharath Ramaraj (@Fancricket12) October 17, 2026
Meets Captain & Vice Captain for team India’s in Chinnaswamy India Vs West Indies:
Shreyas Iyer – 22 out off 14 balls.
Tuk tuk Tilak Varma – 7 out off 6 balls.
Ishan kishan & Naman Dhir saved team India’s in 5th T20I 😭 https://t.co/4bbUvGHJBW
— MANU (@IMManu_14) October 17, 2026
Criticism quickly turned to the rest of the lineup, especially Shreyas Iyer. Many felt his relatively slow start did not suit a nine over contest, with users arguing a captain cannot afford 10 off 9 early on. Others called the middle-order response after Kishan’s platform a massive batting collapse. There were also plenty of fans who pointed out at the approach and were not happy with some of the middle overs batting.
