Shreyas Iyer is set to make his T20I comeback in the upcoming series against New Zealand after being picked for the first three matches of the series. With Tilak Varma out injured, Iyer has been named as the replacement for those three games, following which a decision will be taken on Tilak's return or omission, depending on his fitness.
Tilak is still recovering from his testicular torsion surgery that was completed last week and the rehab process isn't as straightforward. Which is why the left-hander got ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand. If Tilak doesn't recover in time, Iyer will play the final two T2OIs as well, and the T20 World Cup that follows.
India's other injury concern, Washington Sundar, is out of the entire New Zealand series and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been named as the replacement. Similar to Iyer, Bishnoi too is likely to book his spot in the World Cup squad and has a greater probability of making it there, given Sundar's fitness fragility.
Should Iyer make it to the squad, it will be a fitting reward for the Mumbai batter who agonisingly missed out on a spot in India's Asia Cup campaign last year. The 31-year-old had a terrific IPL season in 2025 where he led Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years, while also smashing 600-plus runs at a strike rate of 175.
