Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa has urged the selectors and team management to not name any replacement for Tilak Varma for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Varma underwent surgery for Testicular Torsion in Rajkot on Wednesday and he will need three to four weeks for full recovery, which might give sleepless nights to the selectors ahead of the T20I showpiece.
The left-hander has performed consistently for India in T20Is and had played a match-winning knock in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan when the team was under pressure. Varma has scored 1182 runs in 40 T20I matches at an average of 49.25 and a strike rate of 143.98.
Robin Uthappa said on his YouTube Channel, “Yes, you obviously have to keep him [Tilak Varma] in the squad [like Australia took Head in the 2023 World Cup]. 100 percent.”
When questioned if Devdutt Padikkal can get his chance, Uthappa said anything can happen in Test cricket. Padikkal has been in red-hot form as he has scored 640 runs in seven matches of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Karnataka.
“It’s Indian cricket, anything can happen. See, if you pick Paddikal, then there will be conjecture about it. They will say he’s been picked in T20 based on performance in One Dayers. There is no pleasing anybody. In my opinion, selectors have a plan, the coach and captain have a plan. Whatever they want is what’s gonna happen. Sitting outside, we can only speculate, nothing more than that.”
Uthappa said there are a lot of players in the mix if the selectors are forced to name a replacement.
He concluded, “See, there are a lot of players in the mix. You can bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Jitesh Sharma. You can even bring Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad.”
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
