Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has suffered a groin niggle and is unlikely to feature in the second T20I on Saturday at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. According to India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, this was why Kishan came out to bat at No.5 instead of his usual No.3 spot in the series opener against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday.

Kotak also added that if Ishan is unable to feature in the playing XI, then Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might replace him in the second T20I of the five-match series.

“There was a lot of speculation I have also seen, just because Ishan had a strain in his groin, the batting order was changed,” Kotak told reporters, adding that it is “unlikely he will play tomorrow’s match as well”.

“If Ishan doesn’t play, unless he recovers completely, which the medical team will advise, Vaibhav could definitely step in for him. He is one of the strongest contenders," he added.

The first T20I between India and New Zealand saw the former chasing down 226 with four wickets in hand and two balls to spare. However, Tilak Varma coming out to bat at No.3 ahead of Kishan raised a few eyebrows.

Varma managed only 6 off 11 balls, while Kishan too failed to make an impact, lasting just three balls and scoring one. While Varma was dismissed by Michael Bracwell, Mitchell Santner got the better of Kishan.

Ahead of the series opener against New Zealand, skipper Shreyas Iyer had said that Sooryavanshi needs to wait for his opportunity as the team already has two consistent openers in the form of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.

“He is very young; he has more years to get opportunities. It’s not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup,” Iyer had told reporters before the first T20I.

“So, if you see, when he is coming overseas, he will get a fair idea how to play on these particular wickets. Next time, whenever he comes under these conditions, he will be very well prepared. And he can also instruct the other team members, whoever comes here for the first time,” he added.

The youngster, who scored 776 runs in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals, has so far played eight T20Is for India, amassing 246 runs at a strike rate of 186.36 with two half-centuries.