Tilak Verma was suddenly registered during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He complained of a stab wound in the groin, after which he was taken to the hospital. He had to undergo surgery, due to which he will stay away from cricket for at least 2 weeks. BCCI has confirmed that Tilak Verma has been ruled out of the first 3 T20 matches against New Zealand, although the board has not announced his replacement. Giving his opinion on this, former cricketer Aakash Chopra said that Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal should not be his replacement.

Why shouldn’t Gill or Jaiswal be the replacement?

Aakash Chopra shared a video regarding this on his social media platform. In this he said, “Tilak Verma is injured. There will be doubts about his playing in the T20 World Cup. A new player will have to be found. Can it be Shubman Gill? I would say no, Gill should not be there and Yashasvi Jaiswal should also not be there. Why? Because you do not need an opener. Tilak Verma bats at number three or four, so you need a player who bats in the middle order. If he can bowl a little then it is even better but you Don’t need an opener.”

Aakash Chopra said that he is the perfect replacement for Tilak Verma!

Aakash Chopra further said, “I would say Shreyas Iyer, you should select Sarpanch Sahab quickly. He is already playing well. He did well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Now he is getting the opportunity, there is a need for a middle order batsman here, he is also an experienced senior player. He also did well in the IPL.

“But if you don’t want to go with Shreyas Iyer for any reason, then I would choose Riyan Parag as the second option. He can also contribute in bowling. As the third option, I would take the name of Jitesh Sharma. But my first choice is Shreyas Iyer.”

NEWS

Tilak Varma ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand.

His availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases.

Details | #TeamIndia , #INDvNZ , @IDFCFIRSTBank,

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 8, 2026

What did BCCI tell?

BCCI said in an official statement regarding Tilak Verma, “Indian batsman Tilak Verma underwent surgery for a stomach problem in Rajkot on Wednesday, January 7. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning and will return to Hyderabad on Friday. His condition is currently stable and he is improving. Tilak will then start physical training and gradually return to skill-based activities once his symptoms are completely resolved and the wound is healed. He will play in the first three matches against New Zealand. “He has been ruled out of the T20 matches. His availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the training and skill phase.”

The Indian team has suffered a big blow, because Tilak Verma has been ruled out of the first 3 T20 matches against New Zealand. India vs New Zealand five T20 match series will start from January 21. Tilak Verma underwent stomach surgery in emergency condition on Wednesday.

Tilak Verma out of first three T20 matches

On Thursday, BCCI issued a statement saying that Tilak Verma had successful surgery on Wednesday after suffering from stomach problem in Rajkot. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and will leave for Hyderabad on Friday. His condition is stable now and he is recovering quickly.”

The BCCI statement further said, “Tilak will be able to resume physical practice once the symptoms are completely resolved and the wound is healed and then gradually start skill training. Tilak Verma will not be able to play in the first three T20 matches against New Zealand. On the basis of practice and skill training, it will be decided whether Tilak will be able to play the remaining 2 T20 matches or not.”

Tilak Verma gave health update

Tilak Verma thanked the people who expressed concern about his health through social media. He has started on the path of recovery and he also promised the fans that he will return to the field sooner than their expectations.

Tilak Verma’s replacement has not been announced yet for the T20 series against New Zealand. It is possible that Ishan Kishan may get a chance to play at number 3, who was included in the T20 team as a back-up wicketkeeper option to Sanju Samson.

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