Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has issued a warning to Tilak Varma ahead of the two-match T20I series against Ireland. Varma is the vice-captain of the T20I format but Kaif said it doesn’t guarantee that his place is safe.

The left-hander scored 359 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 29.92 and a strike rate of 145.93 and thus could not deliver as per the expectations. 

Recently, the southpaw scored 275 runs in five matches at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 74.93 in the tri-series against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A.

Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “Tilak Varma is the vice-captain, yes. But vice-captains have been dropped before as well. Being vice-captain doesn’t mean Tilak Varma’s place in the team is guaranteed. If Tilak starts thinking, ‘I’m the vice-captain, my spot is secure,’ that’s simply not how this Indian team works. If he wants to keep playing, he’ll have to maintain his form. Even a slight dip in form could see him dropped. Axar Patel was the vice-captain before. You’d remember that. He’s no longer the vice-captain. The team has now moved on to Tilak.”

Kaif said there is no permanent vice-captain in the team either and thus Varma should perform consistently.

He concluded, “So in this Indian team, nobody’s place is guaranteed. Not even the captain’s. There’s no permanent vice-captain either. Everyone has to earn their place. Everyone has to perform in every single match. This is a phase in Indian cricket that we’ve never seen before. That’s the mindset of the coaches and selectors now. Your place in the team is on the line every single match. That’s why Tilak Varma may start with this team, but his place in the XI is by no means guaranteed going forward.”

India will take on Ireland in the first T20I at Belfast on Friday.