MUMBAI: In a major blow to India with less than a month to go for the 2026 T20 World Cup, T20 Asia Cup final hero and middle-order batter Tilak Varma has sustained an abdominal injury, which could sideline him for three to four weeks. Tilak is set to feature in the T20I series against New Zealand, and is in danger of missing the mega event next month too.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 23-year-old left-hander was in Rajkot representing Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy when he experienced acute testicular pain on Wednesday.

“He was immediately rushed to the Gokul Hospital, where scans diagnosed him with testicular torsion, and doctors advised immediate surgery. Tilak subsequently underwent successful surgery yesterday and is now doing well. He will be out of the hospital today,” Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah, who has been following up on Tilak’s treatment, told TOI on Thursday.Even though India would look to draft a replacement for the series that kicks off on January 21 in Nagpur. Tilak’s injury could open the doors of a T20 comeback for India’s ODI vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. However, it is unlikely that Shubman Gill, India’s Test and ODI captain, would be considered.The southpaw has been a key batter of the T20I setup over the past one year. He played a pivotal role in India’s Asia Cup 2025 triumph, with a match-winning 69* (53) in the final against Pakistan.