India’s Tilak Varma plays a shot during the fifth T20 cricket match between India and South Africa in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: Police sirens weren’t blaring, hundreds didn’t gather to catch a glimpse of the team bus, and an eerie silence hung over the veranda of Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium. A handful of security and police personnel were enjoying the afternoon sweet spot after a hearty lunch when the India A team bus pulled up. Chairs were reluctantly thrown away as they got into a standby position, if only for a few minutes.The players started to get off the bus, but the attention and camera shots, just two to be exact, were on Tilak Varma. He was preparing for his first competitive appearance after almost a month, and the 23-year-old player immediately got into the game. While the rest went through an extended warm-up and catching practice, Tilak joined Ravi Bishnoi on the practice pitches to bowl after some light driving at the ropes.
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And it wasn’t just soft deliveries to relax his shoulder as he spent considerable time bowling with the likes of Bishnoi, Ashok Sharma, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed and Mayank Yadav. Even as the captains lined up for the toss, Tilak was not done. It was only after the US bowling decision appeared on the giant screen for the first time that the left-hander was given the cue and rushed to the dugout to stuff himself.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!India’s No.3 prospect for the upcoming T20 World Cup had a brief match training session due to a groin injury, but after extended rehabilitation and match simulations at the BCCI Center of Excellence, he picked up where he left off in his last appearance for the country. There were no signs of rust as the youngster went about his business exactly as he did in the home T20I series against South Africa.He turned on his left arm spin, pinpointed the gaps, executed a reverse sweep and even flexed his muscles to the max. His knock of 38 off 23 ended when Shubham Ranjane took aim at the wicketkeeper behind him, but Tilak ticked the boxes he would have liked to have spent time away from cricket. The left-hander remains a vital piece in India’s T20 World Cup puzzle and his return now leaves the selectors with a direct challenge between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan for the other opener and the wicket-keeper berth.Samson was woefully out of form in five T20Is against New Zealand, while Kishan made his opportunities count and even donned the gloves for the final T20I. Captain Suryakumar Yadav said the call will be made public on February 7, but recent form and confidence have tipped heavily in Kishan’s favour.“The final call for Ishan Kishan versus Sanju Samson for the opening role will be revealed on February 7,” Surya said in an on-air interaction.The Indian management insists on out-of-form players in the T20Is, including the SKY captain, but it will be interesting to see if they follow the same path in the multi-nation tournament.
Backup options
After Tilak, the second talking point from India A’s warm-up against USA was the potential back-up options in case Washington Sundar does not recover in time for the T20 World Cup. While the all-rounder is making strides at the BCCI Center of Excellence, the management will want a Plan B for the campaign that begins on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.As reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, the management is likely to take a patient approach with Washington as he needs the option of matchups against left-handers. For these matches, Ravi Bishnoi was called into the squad for the T20Is against New Zealand and returned with figures of 2/18 and 1/49 in his two matches. Even in the Navi Mumbai match, the leg-spinner, whose stock ball moves away from the left-handers, picked up a wicket in his first over, in the third innings when he cleaned up opposition skipper Monanko Patel for 10. Another wicket followed in his second over as he finished with figures of 3/37 in four overs.Tilak also got into the act when he was introduced to the likes of Ayush Badoni and Riyan Parag. The part-timer took the wicket with his first ball before Parag was introduced from the other end. There’s no need to panic just yet, but the think tank doesn’t want to leave anything to chance, even when it comes to replacement options for a player like Washington, who probably won’t be in the starting XI for most games. One over each for Tilak, Parag and Badoni also does not drop any major hints.
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Team India will meet on February 3
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team will assemble in Mumbai on Tuesday ahead of a warm-up match against South Africa on February 4. Most of the players, head coach Gautam Gambhir and members of the support staff went home during the two-day break after the New Zealand series, but will now return to work.As for the relaxed security staff at the DY Patil Stadium, they were kept on their toes as a decent crowd turned up for the India A-USA match. The India-South Africa match will be busier with nearly 20,000 tickets already sold and a post-lunch sweet spot on Wednesday unlikely.Short Score: India A posted 238/3 in 20 overs before firing USA for 200 in 19.4 overs to seal a comfortable 38-run win.
