India’s star batsman Tilak Varma finally returned to the cricket field after recovering from injury when he started for India A against the USA in a T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match on Monday, February 2. Varma was undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru following a successful operation on an abdominal injury that kept him out for several weeks.
Left handed marked his long-awaited return to competitive cricket in a warm-up match at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai where he scored an impressive 38 off 24 deliveries. Varma’s innings was laced with three boundaries and two towering sixes and he looked good in touch and fielded well during his time at the crease.
Varma walked out to bat after the end of the fourth over and started cautiously, nudging the first few deliveries to settle the singles. He hit his first boundary on the seventh ball he faced and then took on Harmeet Singh, smashing him for two fours and a six in the ninth over to accelerate the scoring. The southpaw later blasted Nosthush Kenjige for a maximum to move to 38 but was eventually dismissed for 38, caught by Monanke Patel attempting another big shot.
Importantly, Varma showed no signs of discomfort during his stay in the middle, raising hopes of a strong and timely comeback for the Indian side. The batsman is expected to regain full fitness in time for the T20 World Cup opener against USA on February 7 in Mumbai.
Who will make way for Tilak?
Before the start of the tournament, India are scheduled to play another warm-up match against South Africa at the same venue on February 4. The match will give the team another opportunity to get some much needed match practice before the competition officially begins.
Tilak Varma is expected to be an automatic selection in the playing eleven once he is fully fit. However, the team management will face a selection dilemma as they will have to choose between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan after Varma’s return. Given Kishan’s amazing form since his comeback and Samson’s pathetic returnsthe latter is likely to be benched to make way for Tilak, while Kishan will line up to open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
February 2, 2026
