Cricket

BCCI announces Tilak Varma & Washington Sundar’s replacements for T20I series vs NZ

BCCI has drafted Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag into India’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series as replacements for injured Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, giving two in-form IPL stars a maiden home opportunity.

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On Friday, January 16, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Ashwin have been added to India’s T20I squad for the forthcoming five-match series against New Zealand.

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While Bishnoi will replace Washington Sundar for all five matches, Shreyas Iyer is all set to take Tilak Varma’s place in the first three games against the BlackCaps. The first T20I is scheduled to start on Wednesday, January 21, in Nagpur.

“Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset of discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara on January. This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised to rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” the BCCI statement said.

“The all-rounder has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Ravi Bishnoi as his replacement. The Men’s Selection Committee has also added Shreyas Iyer to the T20I squad for the first three matches as a replacement for the injured Tilak Varma,” the statement added.

Notably, Iyer last played a T20I against Australia way back in December 2023, while Bishnoi’s last outing came in February 2025 against England at home. For the unversed, Tilak suffered an abdominal injury while playing a Vijay Hazare Trophy game earlier this month, and he has undergone surgery, requiring at least four weeks of rest.

India’s updated T20I squad vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi.

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