Ishan Kishan looks set to return for India in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram after missing the fourth game with a niggle, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed on the eve of the decider. Kishan’s presence is a clear boost for India’s middle order: the 27-year-old produced a flurry of quickfire runs earlier in the series — a blistering 76 off 32 in the second T20I and a handy 28 off 13 in the third — and his absence was felt when India faltered in Vizag chasing 216, eventually losing by 50 runs after an early wicket.

Kotak was upbeat about Kishan’s chances but made it clear the final call rests with the medical team. “Ishan Kishan has always been good whenever he got an opportunity,” Sitanshu Kotak said, praising the wicketkeeper-batter’s impact since his recall. “Very likely (he will play), at the moment, as far as I know. The physio is here for practice. So, physios will take a call. But I feel very likely.”

That pragmatic approach reflects India’s careful workload management ahead of a major tournament window. With the Greenfield International Stadium hosting Saturday’s match, India wants to balance immediate momentum with player fitness.

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If cleared, Ishan Kishan’s return would restore a natural attacking balance — someone who can seize the powerplay and bridge the top order to the middle overs. Sitanshu Kotak also reiterated why aggressive options like Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav are integral to India’s game plan.

“Some of the players are aggressive, and what we plan… we go sorting through that, and depending on wickets in hand and the situation, and whether we are chasing or posting, it will help us,” he said. “But fortunately we have players who can play very aggressively, and there have been such good players in India as well, so that’s a great thing.”

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India will be hoping Ishan Kishan’s return sparks the kind of quick starts they need in crunch chases. His ability to rotate strike and punish loose balls at the top of the middle order gives India a different dimension, particularly when conditions demand intent. The final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram offers Kishan a chance to finish the bilateral series on a high and press his case as India fine-tunes combinations in the lead-up to bigger events.