Ishan Kishan breaks Manish Pandey's eight-year-old record, becomes India's highest scorer at No.5 or lower in T20Is

Ishan Kishan produced a stunning rescue act in India's Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Sri Lanka, smashing an unbeaten 80 to lift India to 169/7 and set a target of 170.Kishan walked in with India in trouble after Sri Lanka's bowlers made regular inroads, but the left-hander changed the momentum with an attacking knock. He remained unbeaten on 80 off 46 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes.His innings was not only crucial for India's total but also rewrote the record books.Kishan surpasses Manish PandeyKishan's unbeaten 80 became the highest individual score by an Indian batter batting at No.5 or lower in T20Is, surpassing Manish Pandey's eight-year-old record of 79* against South Africa in Centurion in 2018.Highest individual scores for India from No.5 or lower in T20IsRankScoreBatterOpponentVenueYear180*Ishan KishanSri LankaNisshin2026279*Manish PandeySouth AfricaCenturion2018377*Yuvraj SinghAustraliaRajkot2013471*Hardik PandyaAustraliaMohali2022569*Rinku SinghAfghanistanBengaluru2024668*Rinku SinghSouth AfricaGqeberha2023Sooryavanshi provides the early impetusIndia's innings began with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi providing the aggression at the top. The young opener smashed 38 off 21 balls, giving India a strong start before Sri Lanka began to claw their way back into the contest.Abhishek Sharma departed for seven, while Sanju Samson was dismissed for seven as well. Sooryavanshi then fell after an attacking 38, leaving India under pressure. Shreyas Iyer contributed 13 before being bowled by Wanuja Sahan, while Axar Patel and Tilak Varma also departed cheaply.With wickets tumbling around him, Kishan took responsibility and ensured India had a competitive total to defend. Kishan accelerated as the innings progressed, finding the boundary regularly and taking the attack to the Sri Lankan bowlers.His unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, combined with the contributions around him, took India to 169/7 in 20 overs.For Sri Lanka, skipper Sahan Arachchige and Tharindu Ratnayake claimed two wickets each, while Wanuja Sahan, Nuwanidu Fernando and Lasith Croospulle picked up one apiece.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.