Tilak Varma puts fitness concerns to rest, returns with a bang in T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against USA

Tilak Varma played the T20 World Cup warm-up fixture for India A against the USA on Monday, February 2.

Updated on: Feb 2, 2026, 21:20:28 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Tilak Varma laid all fitness concerns to rest on Monday as he played the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up fixture against the USA at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. The left-handed batter, aged 23, missed the five T20Is against New Zealand after undergoing surgery for an abdominal issue in January 2026. The Indian management did not want to take any chances regarding India's No.3 batter's participation in the tournament, and hence, he was not risked in the series against the Black Caps.

Tilak Varma played the T20 World Cup warm-up fixture for India A (REUTERS)

However, Tilak turned up for India A to play against the US on Monday. In the warm-up tie, he batted at his usual No.3 spot, returning with a knock of 38 runs off 24 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes. However, he ended up losing his wicket as he tried to force the pace. He was dismissed by Shubham Ranjane. He also bowled one over, conceding 15 runs and taking the wicket of Andries Gous.

The left-hander, known for his flair and beautiful elegance, also shared a 113-run stand for the second wicket with opening batter Narayan Jagadeesan. Tilak won't be playing the second warm-up match for India A, and he will link up with the Indian squad on Tuesday, February 3, ahead of the team's tournament opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium on February 7. However, he is expected to turn up for India in the warm-up match against South Africa on Wednesday.

Also Read: India A vs USA T20 World Cup warm-up LIVE Score: Check our live coverage here

Coming back to the warm-up match between India A and the USA, the former won by 38 runs after posting 238/3 in 20 overs. Jagadeeshan scored 104 runs off 55 balls with 11 fours and 4 sixes to leave the US attack shell-shocked. In the chase, the USA were bowled out for 200, with Ravi Bishnoi taking three wickets.

Speaking of Tilak, he was earlier ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued an official update, saying, “Tilak will resume physical training and gradually return to skill-based activities once his symptoms have fully resolved and wound healing is satisfactory. He is ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand.”

However, he was then deemed unfit for the last two matches against the Kiwis as well, as another update was provided by the Indian board, which read, “He will require additional time to regain full match fitness and will not be available for the final two T20Is of the ongoing five-match T20I series.”

Tilak Varma crucial for India

Over the past year, Tilak has become a crucial part of the Indian T20I setup. He had shown his class in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, where he hit an unbeaten 69-run knock to help Suryakumar Yadav and his team to win the tournament at the Dubai International Stadium.

In 2024, he also slammed two centuries against South Africa, and what made the feat more special was the fact that it came back-to-back away from home in Centurion and Johannesburg.

India's full squad for the T20 World Cup: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Washington Sundar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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