The left-handed batter came in at No. 3 following Sanju Samson’s dismissal but could not make a big impact in his first ever T20I appearance for India against New Zealand. Daryl Mitchell took a sharp catch to send the youngster back to the pavilion on the second ball of the seventh over.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets opportunity in Second T20I
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was included in India’s playing XI in place of Ishan Kishan, who suffered an injury while fielding during the first T20I on Thursday. Ishan Kishan, India’s leading T20I run-scorer in 2026, was subsequently ruled out of the third match.
The opportunity gave Sooryavanshi a chance to make his international debut against the Black Caps. However, the teenager, known for his aggressive batting, was unable to convert the opportunity into a substantial score.
Sooryavanshi was one of the young players who impressed with his aggressive batting, even when he was bowled out early.
Abhishek Sharma joins elite 1,000-run club
While Sooryavanshi struggled, Abhishek Sharma reached a major milestone in the same match. The left-handed opener became the third Indian batter to score 1,000 or more T20I runs in a calendar year.
Abhishek Sharma needed 15 runs to reach the mark and completed the milestone in just seven balls. The 26-year-old joined Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the list of Indian players to achieve the feat.
Suryakumar scored 1,164 T20I runs in 31 matches in 2022, while Kishan has accumulated 1,159 runs in 35 matches in 2026. The ongoing match against New Zealand is Abhishek’s 36th T20I of the year.
Austria’s Karanbir Singh holds the world record for the most T20I runs in a calendar year, having scored 1,488 runs in 32 matches in 2025. Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan is second with 1,326 runs in 29 matches in 2021.
Arshdeep Singh sets new Indian T20I bowling record
Arshdeep Singh also added another achievement to his name, setting a new record for the most T20I wickets taken by an Indian bowler in a calendar year. His tally reached 38 wickets in 2026, surpassing Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s previous mark of 37 wickets in 2022.
The 27-yeard-old Arshdeep Singh had also taken 36 wickets in 2024 and 33 in 2022. Varun Chakaravarthy claimed 36 wickets in 2025, while Axar Patel has taken 32 wickets in 2026.