New Zealand National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match: India batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the final two T20 internationals against New Zealand as he needs more time to regain full match fitness, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Monday, January 26, 2026. The 23-year-old was initially sidelined for the first three matches of the five-game series after undergoing surgery for an abdominal issue. In an update, the BCCI said Tilak 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. Tilak will link up with the squad in Mumbai once he has regained full match fitness on 3rd February, ahead of India’s warm-up match for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” the board said.
Shreyas Iyer, who was added as Tilak’s replacement for the first three matches, will remain with the squad for the rest of the series.
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
