India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match: Indian batter Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the opening three matches of India’s five-game T20I series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said Thursday, January 8, 2026. Tilak, who recently underwent abdominal surgery in Rajkot, was discharged from the hospital Thursday morning and is scheduled to return to Hyderabad on Friday.
“Tilak will resume physical training and gradually return to skill-based activities once his symptoms have fully resolved and wound healing is satisfactory,” the BCCI said.
The board added that Tilak’s participation in the final two matches of the series will be assessed based on his progress during recovery and training.
Since making his T20I debut in August 2023, Tilak has scored 1,183 runs in 40 matches at a strike rate of 144.09, including two centuries. He played a key role in India’s Asia Cup 2025 final win over Pakistan with an unbeaten 69 and recently scored a century against Chandigarh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
No replacement has been named for Tilak in the squad for the first three T20Is, but Ishan Kishan could get an opportunity at No. 3 in his absence.
India will play three ODIs against New Zealand starting January 11, followed by the five T20Is. The team will then start its title defence at the T20 World Cup on February 7 against the USA in Mumbai.
