After falling for 20 off 16 balls against the United States in India's tournament opener, Ishan Kishan responded emphatically in the Men In Blue's second T20 World Cup 2026 outing against Namibia in Delhi on Feb. 12. Kishan began cautiously though.
For the first two overs, he avoided undue risk, allowing Sanju Samson at the other end to dictate the tempo. Samson briefly lit up the innings with three successive sixes before getting out, an innings that blazed brightly but briefly.
With Samson departing after giving the Indian innings an early boost, Kishan shifted gears. In the third over, he drove JJ Smit crisply through the off side before pulling him authoritatively for consecutive boundaries. He then found the fence against Ben Shikongo and Ruben Trumpelmann in the next two overs, showing good maturity by mixing calculated strokeplay with strike rotation as India consolidated.
The real acceleration came in the final over of the powerplay. Smit returned and Kishan defended the first delivery. What followed was destructive to say the least.
Kishan began by getting low to slog-sweep the second ball over fine leg for six. He advanced down the track next ball and cleared long-on. The wicketkeeper moved up to the stumps in response; it made little difference. Kishan again skipped down and launched Smit over long-on for a third consecutive six.
Smit altered his length, banging it short on the fifth delivery. Kishan anticipated it, pulling over deep backward square leg for a fourth successive six. The final ball was short again; this time Kishan rolled his wrists and found the boundary along the ground.
The sequence of 6, 6, 6, 6, 4 brought up his half-century off just 20 balls inside the powerplay.
Kishan wasn't done yet as he continued the assault in the following over, striking a six and four off consecutive deliveries to carry India to 103/1 in 6.5 overs, helping set a team record as India posted the fastest team hundred in men's T20 World Cup history.
Kishan's innings eventually ended at the start of the eighth over when Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus introduced himself into the attack. Erasmus fired one onto the pads; cramped for room attempting another big slog, Kishan picked out deep midwicket.
Fastest Fifties For India at T20 World Cups
| Batter | Balls | Opponent | Place | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuvraj Singh | 12 | England | Durban | 2007 |
| KL Rahul | 18 | Scotland | Dubai | 2021 |
| Rohit Sharma | 19 | Australia | Gros Islet | 2024 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 20 | Australia | Durban | 2007 |
| Ishan Kishan | 20 | Namibia | New Delhi | 2026 |
He departed for 61 off 24 balls, an innings comprising six fours and five sixes, i.e. 54 of his runs coming in boundaries.
Kishan's 20-ball half-century is the joint fourth-fastest by an Indian in T20 World Cup history. Only Yuvraj Singh (12 balls vs England, 2007), KL Rahul (18 vs Scotland, 2021) and Rohit Sharma (19 vs Australia, 2024) have reached the mark quicker, while Yuvraj's 20-ball fifty against Australia in 2007 came at the same pace.
Yuvraj's 12-ball fifty in the inaugural 2007 edition, highlighted by the iconic over of six sixes off Stuart Broad, remains the fastest in T20 World Cup history.
The fastest fifty in men's T20 internationals belongs to Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee, who reached the mark in nine balls against Mongolia in 2023.
ALSO READ | Sixes And Self-Sabotage: The Sanju Samson Enigma Continues In T20 World Cup Debut
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