Tilak Varma ruled out of first three T20Is against New Zealand
His availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases
ESPNcricinfo staff
08-Jan-2026 • Updated 14 hrs ago
Tilak Varma has been a key member of India's T20I squads over the last year • Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
India batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is in the upcoming series against New Zealand from January 21, after undergoing testicular surgery in Rajkot on Wednesday. Tilak's availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases, the BCCI said in a statement.
Tilak played Hyderabad's Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Bengal on Tuesday; it is understood the injury did not occur during the match. He experienced pain later and was immediately advised to undergo scans, followed by the procedure. The BCCI said that Tilak was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning, and is currently stable and recovering well. He is scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad on Friday.
The timing of Tilak's injury and recovery period means he could be touch and go for India's T20 World Cup opener against USA in Mumbai on February 7. Their other group fixtures are against Namibia (February 12), Pakistan (February 15) and Netherlands (February 18).
After playing the T20I series against South Africa in December, Tilak led Hyderabad in two 50-over games at the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 109 against Chandigarh on January 3 and made 34 against Bengal on Tuesday.
Tilak has been a key member of India's T20I squad over the past six months, having played in each of their last three assignments: Asia Cup (September), Australia T20Is (October) and South Africa T20Is (December). He made 567 runs in 18 innings last year at an average of 47.25 and strike rate of 129.15.
India are yet to name a replacement for the five T20Is against New Zealand on January 21, 23, 25, 28 and 31. Teams can make changes to their T20 World Cup squad without needing ICC approval until January 31, 2026.