IND vs NZ: Tilak Varma to miss last two T20Is as BCCI makes T20 World Cup call
India Today
IND vs NZ: Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the last two T20Is of the ongoing series against New Zealand as he continues his recovery from abdomen injury. Varma will link up with the Indian squad on February 3 ahead of their first warm-up fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026.
India batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the last two T20Is of the ongoing series against New Zealand as he continues to recover from his abdomen injury. Varma was admitted to hospital after suffering acute testicular pain while playing for Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Rajkot earlier this month. He subsequently underwent a successful surgical procedure and has been rehabilitating at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Varma has resumed physical training and is making steady progress in his rehabilitation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday. However, the left-hander will require additional time to regain full match fitness and hence has been ruled out of the entire New Zealand series.
He is expected to link up with the Indian squad in Mumbai on 3 February, after achieving full match fitness, ahead of India’s warm-up fixtures for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. In the meantime, Shreyas Iyer will remain in the squad as Tilak Varma’s replacement for the remainder of the New Zealand series.
Earlier, Varma was expected to join the team for the last two T20Is against New Zealand, but his return has been further delayed, adding to the worry of Indian fans ahead of their T20 World Cup title defence. In his absence, Shreyas Iyer is yet to get a chance in the playing XI as Ishan Kishan has been slotted at number three.
The southpaw has made the most of his opportunity so far, having scored 112 runs from three innings at a thunderous strike rate of 224. Kishan played a belligerent knock of 76 off just 32 balls, laced with 11 fours and four sixes, in the second T20I against New Zealand, helping India chase down a daunting target of 209 in only 15.2 overs. His sensational performance has given a good headache to the team management heading into the World Cup, as he has made his case to start in the playing XI.
India’s squad for last 2 T20Is vs New Zealand: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi
IPL 2026: AB de Villiers questions MS Dhoni's role at CSK in IPL 2026, saying the legend must bat higher or risk playing for the wrong reasons as Sanju Samson's arrival reshapes Chennai's lineup.
Ricky Ponting believes the Indian Premier League plays a major role in shaping India's T20 success. The former Australia captain said IPL matches are as intense as international games and help prepare players for the national team.
IPL 2026: Rohit Sharma has already started turning heads ahead of IPL 2026. A viral video from Mumbai Indians' training session showed the former India captain going after the bowlers, raising excitement among fans before the new season.
Iran's football federation is pushing to move its 2026 World Cup matches from the US to Mexico over safety fears, in a controversy drawing comparisons to Bangladesh's T20 World Cup crisis.
Afghanistan cricket stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi have strongly condemned reported Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul. The two players expressed grief and anger over civilian casualties after a hospital was reportedly struck during the attack.
Chennai Super Kings have appointed former England wicketkeeper-batter James Foster as their new fielding coach ahead of IPL 2026, adding an experienced coach to Stephen Fleming's support staff.
Liam Livingstone launched a blistering attack on England's team management, accusing Brendon McCullum and Rob Key of poor communication and a lack of support after being dropped from the white-ball setup.
The Indian Cricket Board is being called out for an extremely silly mistake at the Naman Awards 2026. During the ceremony, BCCI credited Shubman Gill as the captain who won the Champions Trophy, and not Rohit Sharma.
Sanju Samson said he is excited to share the CSK dressing room with MS Dhoni in IPL 2026, adding that the former India captain has always had a positive influence on him and will be a valuable source of learning.
IPL 2026: Harbhajan Singh believes that the Mumbai Indians need to find a way to bring out the best in Hardik Pandya should they stand a chance of getting back to winning titles.
Sunil Gavaskar has criticised SunRisers Leeds owners for signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed at The Hundred 2026 auction, arguing that Indian owners must not contribute to Pakistani government revenues.
Despite India's successful T20 World Cup title defence, no Indian men's cricketer was shortlisted for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for February. But India have representation in the women's category, with pacer Arundhati Reddy nominated.
Was Gautam Gambhir behind the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? India head coach Gautam Gambhir has hinted at the possible reason while speaking in an event in Kolkata.