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India's star batter Tilak Varma is set to miss the first three T20Is of the upcoming multi-format white-ball series against New Zealand. Varma underwent surgery for an abdominal issue in Rajkot on Wednesday.
India is scheduled to play the Black Caps in three ODIs and five T20Is. Varma is only a part of India's T20I squad. The ODI series starting on January 11 will mark the beginning of the series; the T20 series will kick off on January 21. Varma was discharged from the hospital on Thursday morning and is scheduled to fly back to Hyderabad on Friday. He is currently stable and progressing well. Varma will resume physical training and gradually return to skill-based activities once his symptoms have fully resolved and his wound has healed satisfactorily. His availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed based on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases. Varma has been a key batter of the Indian side in the T20I setup over the last year. The stylish left-handed batter played a crucial role in his side's Asia Cup 2025 win, where he played a match-winning unbeaten 69* in the final against arch-rivals Pakistan. The 23-year-old made his T20I debut against the West Indies at Tarouba in August 2023. Since then, he has played 40 matches and 37 innings, amassing 1183 runs at a fantastic average of 49.29 with a strike rate of 144.09. The left-handed batter has hammered two centuries and six half-centuries. Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Thiruvanthapuram will host five T20Is between India and New Zealand. The T20I series between the two countries will help them to prepare for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. (ANI)
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