The star batter Tilak Varma will remain ruled out for the remainder of the T20I series in the New Zealand tour of India 2026, and Shreyas Iyer has been retained for the home series.
Tilak Varma had suffered an abdominal injury while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Doctors had advised surgery for him at the time, which ruled him out of the T20I series against New Zealand.
“Tilak Varma has resumed physical training and is making steady progress with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.”
“However, he will require additional time to regain full match fitness and will not be available for the final two T20Is of the ongoing five-match T20I series.”
“Tilak will link up with the squad in Mumbai once he has regained full match fitness on 3rd February, ahead of India’s warm-up match for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” said a BCCI statement.
Iyer was initially named a replacement for Tilak for the first three games of the T20I series. He will be travelling with the rest of the squad, but will not be featuring in the series, which was confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Shreyas Iyer hasn’t featured in T20Is since December 2023. However, he has been an integral part of the ODI format. He sustained a serious spleen injury during the ODI series against Australia last year.
Despite his inclusion, a big question remains – will Shreyas Iyer will play in IPL 2026? as he is not set to feature in the tournament which was confirmed the BCCI.
Meanwhile, it is still not clear if Washington Sundar will be available for the T20 World Cup. He was ruled out of the T20Is and has been out of action since the first ODI against New Zealand in Baroda.
“This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” said BCCI during Ravi Bishnoi was named as a replacement.
India secured the series 3-0 with two matches yet to be played and will be aiming for a win in the upcoming game to be played on January 28 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
