The 5-match T20 series between India and New Zealand will begin on January 21st. The first match of the series will be played at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. After this series, India will play in the T20 World Cup. Good news is coming for India before the series. India’s middle-order batsman Tilak Varma is recovering rapidly from his injury. According to reports, Tilak Varma is now almost completely fit and will join the training at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Tilak Varma can recover soon ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026
According to the report, Tilak is currently in no pain and is going to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further medical assessment and fitness check-up, where a decision on his participation will be taken after the Test.
Indian batsman Tilak Verma will not be able to play in the first three T20I matches against New Zealand starting January 21. He underwent surgery for testicular torsion in Rajkot two weeks ago during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Now his recovery is progressing in the right direction.
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According to a source close to TOI, “If everything goes as planned, Tilak Varma could be fully fit before the fourth T20I in Visakhapatnam on January 28. He has resumed physical training and will begin practicing batting and other skills in the next day or two, which has further strengthened his chances of returning.”
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Indian ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer has been included in the squad for the first three matches in place of Tilak Varma. Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I match against Australia at home in December 2023. After suffering a spleen injury last year, Iyer made a comeback in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
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After this, he also appeared in the ODI series against New Zealand. Tilak Varma was a key player in India’s T20I setup last year, where he scored a total of 567 runs in 18 innings in 2025 at an average of 47.25 and a strike rate of 129.15.
