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Indian batter Tilak Varma has received clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s Centre of Excellence (COE) for his return to competitive cricket and will be playing two warm-up games ahead of the T20 World Cup starting from February 7 onwards.
Tilak has been out of action for almost a month, following a testicular surgery for an injury sustained during a Ranji Trophy fixture in January, as per ESPNCricinfo. Tilak will be playing for India A against the USA at DY Patil Stadium at Navi Mumbai on February 2, followed by India's warm-up match against South Africa on February 4. Tilak has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, with Ishan Kishan dominating as a number three batter in his absence for four matches, including a century on Saturday. Tilak's presence will be crucial for India at the top of the order in the T20 World Cup, having made 1,183 runs in 40 matches and 37 innings at an average of 49.29, with a strike rate of 144.09, including two centuries and six fifties. At number three, he brings a very Virat Kohli-esque game, capable of switching between stabilisation and acceleration, or vice versa, within a jiffy. In 15 innings at number three, he has made 542 runs at an average of 60.22 and a strike rate of over 160, including two centuries and three fifties in 15 innings and a best score of 120*. Tilak had been recovering at the CoE after his surgery and was making "steady progress with his rehabilitation," a BCCI statement had said on January 26 as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. All-rounder Washington Sundar, who also missed the NZ series, is also expected to undergo a fitness test soon. All-rounder Riyan Parag, who has also not played in two months due to shoulder injury, will also play two warm-up matches for India A leading upto the WC, including one against Namibia on February 6 in Bengaluru. India is a part of Group A with arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA and will start their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7. The clash with arch-rivals Pakistan will take place at Colombo on February 15. If Team India pulls off a successful title defence, they will become the first team to defend their T20 WC title, and this will mark their third T20 WC trophy, making them the most successful team in the tournament's history. India T20 WC squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh. (ANI)
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