Ishan Kishan hurts his back in the Delhi nets two days before India's Afghanistan opener

India are waiting on the fitness of Ishan Kishan after the wicketkeeper-batter cut short a net session in Delhi with a lower-back problem, two days before the first T20I against Afghanistan

Kishan stopped batting at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday after ducking under a short ball from Navdeep Saini, who had been drafted in by the team management as a net bowler. He felt discomfort in his lower back straight away, needed attention from the team's physiotherapists and did not bat again.

India have made no announcement about his availability, and there has been no official indication that he has been ruled out of Sunday's match.

The early signs were encouraging. Kishan walked off without assistance, sat for a time on an ice box alongside his team-mates and left the ground on his own, and Saini said afterwards that the batter had told him the problem was not serious.

The timing is awkward for India, who open a three-match series against Afghanistan at the same ground on Sunday, 13 September, with Kishan among the first names on their T20I team sheet.

A short ball at the end of a long session

The problem arrived towards the end of a batting stint of roughly 45 minutes, by which point Kishan had been striking the ball cleanly in a net alongside India captain Shreyas Iyer.

Saini, bowling short and quick, pushed him back with a steep bouncer. Kishan ducked awkwardly, pulled up immediately and was looked at by the team physiotherapist, Kamlesh Jain.

Until then he had appeared comfortable, and the scare brought an otherwise untroubled session to a premature end. He was seen in a brief conversation with Saini once the squad had finished.

Saini plays down the blow

"Me and Ishan have played together for quite a while. We know each other very well. I know his weaknesses, so I thought of exploiting it with a short ball. He couldn't play it," Saini said of the delivery that caused the problem.

The seamer said he had sought the batter out after the session. "I walked up to him later and asked him how he is doing. He said he is doing fine, so there is nothing to worry about," he said.

A batter India can ill afford to lose

Kishan has been among the most productive T20 batters anywhere this year, with 812 runs from 23 T20 internationals in 2026 — the second-highest aggregate by any batter in the format over that period.

At the 2026 T20 World Cup he finished as India's second-highest run-scorer and fourth overall, with 317 runs at 35.22 and a strike rate of 193.92. In India's most recent T20I assignment, against Zimbabwe, he was again the second-highest run-getter with 145 runs.

He has been a fixture in India's T20I top order since his recall to the side in January.

Straight out of a Duleep Trophy title

Kishan reported for national duty only days ago, having captained East Zone to the Duleep Trophy — their first title in 13 years — and finished that campaign with 409 runs, the bulk of them in the final against South Zone.

He is also named in India's squad for the Asian Games, which is due to travel to Japan, so any back complaint carries beyond this week.

Options at the top of the order

India were already weighing their top-order combination before the scare. Sanju Samson and the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi batted together in another net on Friday, and both are among the side's options at the top.

Were Kishan to be unavailable, India would have to rework their batting order and their wicketkeeping at the same time.

How his back responds over the next day is likely to settle whether he takes his place on Sunday.

India and Afghanistan begin their three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, 13 September.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.