India are getting ready for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting on Sunday, but selection discussion continues to dominate the headlines, with former South Africa captain AB de Villiers questioning where Tilak Varma fits into the team’s plans. Indian squad is packed with a whole of batting options that could become a headache for the management in terms of balance in the squad. Notably, since the 2026 T20 World Cup, Tilak Varma has scored 255 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 159.36.
De Villiers, touching upon Tilak’s position, felt that deciding his role could have wider consequences for the playing XI. According to him, India will face a difficult decision when finalising their batting order because players like Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have strong claims for selection.
“There will definitely be some selection issues with regard to the batters. Obviously, Shreyas, captain, Ishan Kishan, Samson, Sooryavanshi, and then there are all-rounders, Tilak Varma; I think that’s where the balance is quite tricky. Where will he bat?” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers also asserted that India boast a formidable squad.
"Really, really strong squad, but the balance will be tricky to figure out. It's T20s, so they can play around with the squad a little bit. There are different roles, but the role clarification will still be incredibly important for India, as they are playing quite a dangerous team," he added.