Indian batter Shreyas Iyer will continue as Tilak Varma’s replacement for the remainder of the ongoing India vs New Zealand T20I series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed in a media advisory on Monday.
Tilak Varma to Miss Final Two T20Is, Progressing in Rehab
The BCCI said Tilak Varma has resumed physical training and is making steady progress with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. However, the left-handed batter requires additional time to regain full match fitness and will miss the fourth and fifth T20Is of the five-match series.
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“India batter 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 IDFC First Bank five-match T20I series,” the BCCI said.
Tilak had earlier undergone surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot, following which the Men’s Selection Committee added Shreyas Iyer to the T20I squad as his replacement.
Shreyas Iyer to Stay with Squad as India Seal Series
The BCCI further confirmed that the Men’s Selection Committee has recommended Iyer to continue as Tilak’s replacement for the remainder of the series. “The Men’s Selection Committee has recommended that Shreyas Iyer will continue as Tilak Varma’s replacement for the remaining matches,” the advisory added.
The board also stated that Tilak Varma is expected to join the Indian squad on February 3 in Mumbai, once he regains full match fitness, ahead of India’s warm-up match for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, Shreyas Iyer is yet to feature in the playing XI during the New Zealand T20Is. Meanwhile, under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India have dominated the series, winning the first three matches to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match contest.
India’s updated T20I squad: 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.
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