Tilak Varma to play warm-ups before T20 World Cup

India batter Tilak Varma has been cleared by the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) to return to action and play two warm-up games ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. He has been out of action for nearly a month following testicular surgery for an injury suffered during the Ranji Trophy earlier in January.

Tilak will first turn up for an India A side against USA at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on February 2 and then play India's warm-up match against South Africa on February 4. India's first match of the 2026 T20 World Cup is against USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Tilak missed the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand and India played Ishan Kishan at No. 3 in his absence in all but one of the games.

Tilak had been recovering at the CoE after his surgery and was making "steady progress with his rehabilitation," a BCCI statement had said on January 26.

Allrounder Washington Sundar was the other player to miss the series and he is expected to undergo a fitness test in the coming days. Riyan Parag has not played in nearly two months due to a shoulder injury and he will play the two warm-up games India A are scheduled to play in the lead up to the T20 World Cup. The second of those is against Namibia on February 6 at the CoE Bengaluru.

India are in Group A at the 2026 T20 World Cup and play USA on February 7 in Mumbai, Namibia on February 12 in Delhi, Pakistan on February 15 in Colombo and Netherlands on February 18 in Ahmedabad.