Tilak Varma Struggles In MI Jersey; Analyzing Impact On His T20I Spot Due To IPL 2025 Failures

Tilak Varma in IPL 2025 (AP Photos)

The Indian Premier League is now into its final stage, and it has been a season where many unknown Indian players have shown their talent. Many established Indian stars have also delivered to their billing while few of the players who were doing well in the Indian T20I team, have not been able to make an impact that was expected from them.

Tilak Varma Struggles To Replicate International Form In IPL

One of those players who has disappointed this season is Tilak Varma. The youngster is considered as one of the long-term all-format options for the country. In 2024, he scored two back-to-back T20I centuries against South Africa at number 3 and also played a match-winning knock against England in the last T20I series. Thus, going by those performances, there should be no question mark on his T20I spot.

However, IPL performances have always impacted selection in the Indian T20I side, and Tilak Varma's struggle this season has now opened up the debate on his place in the national team. Tilak Varma hit two consecutive fifties this season, but apart from that surge, consistency has been lacking and his strike-rate has also been an issue.

Tilak Varma In IPL 2025

Tilak Varma's best performances in the shortest format for India has come at number 3, and it is a position where he prefers to bat. Also, he tends to take some time before he plays his shots, thus batting below number 4 in modern-day T20 cricket might prove harder for him.

That struggle to get going straightaway while batting in the middle order has been quite evident in IPL 2025. The presence of Will Jacks and Suryakumar Yadav has not allowed MI management to try out Tilak Varma at 3 and 4 consistently. It has resulted in Tilak chewing up lot of deliveries in the fag end of the innings, which even resulted in him getting retired out against LSG.

Hurdles For Tilak Varma In Securing A Permanent Spot In The Indian T20I Team

• Takes Time To Get Set Before Acclerating - Reduces His Impact If Used In The Lower Middle Order
• Problem Of Plenty For Top-4 Positions In The Batting Line-Up
• Poor Performance In IPL 2025
• Team Management's Preference For All-Round Abilities

Plethora Of Dynamic Options In The Batting Line-up

There is no dearth of talent for the spots in the Indian batting line-up and there is constant tussle to get a game with everyone trying their best to utilise their chance. The Indian T20I team has been following an aggressive template under the new management of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir and it has been pretty successful so far.

Talking about the number 3 position where Tilak prefers to bat, India have Suryakumar Yadav who has done excellently at that spot. The 360-degree player did sacrifice his number 3 position in the series against South Africa, but in long-term, the management might be tempted to give their most accomplished T20 batter as many balls as possible. He has also been in stellar form in IPL 2025 with over 600 runs, and thus, there are high chances that he might take that spot permanently till the next T20 World Cup.

Options For Top-4 Spots In Indian Team

(Performance Of Players In IPL 2025)

Even if Suryakumar Yadav bats at four, there are lot of openers like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan who have done well. So, to accommodate them, Indian management might ask one of the openers to bat at three. 

Samson who has been India's opener in the last few series had a poor IPL. The wicketkeeper batter though scored three centuries in the span of five matches last year, and so he would stay in contention. KL Rahul too has brought himself back into the radar with his flexibility and consistency in IPL 2025. 

Another wicketkeeping option, Rishabh Pant has preferred batting in top-four, and despite a poor season, he has managed to keep himself in the fray with a fantastic century in his last match. It would be hard to not consider Shreyas Iyer after his stellar performance both as a batter and as a leader in IPL 2025. His temperament and experience could help him get back into the T20I setup. Thus, Tilak clearly has competition with players with great pedigree, past success and impressive current form.

India's Need For A Finisher Alongside Hardik Pandya

Below the number 4 position, there are likes of Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel who are guaranteed to play because of their world-class all-round skills. Thus, it leaves India with only one vacant place, and they would like a finisher, who can get going straightaway for that role.

Rinku Singh was favourite for that position earlier, and though he has done decently in IPL, the likes of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma have done better, and could get a look-in. Shashank Singh can also bowl a bit, which has been a preference of the Indian team management under Gambhir. There are also likes of Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag who can all bring that extra bowling option along with their batting.  

As a wicketkeeping option, Jitesh Sharma has also thrown his hat in the ring with finishing masterclass against LSG. He has played for India in the past and fits perfectly into the brand of cricket India are playing in the shortest format.

Options For A Lower Middle-Order Spot In Indian Team

Conclusion

Thus, Tilak Varma who has done nothing wrong in T20Is so far, might find it very hard to break into the Indian team in the shortest format. He can be a reliable number 3 batter, but as stated earlier, there are already lot of options who have more experience and have done well in IPL 2025. 

Also, his style of play is another inhibitor, and given his struggle with strike-rate in IPL 2025, having him below number 4 can be counter-productive with the kind of options India have at their disposal. Therefore, it won't be a surprise if team management decides to overlook Tilak Varma for India's next T20I series.

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