Team India defeated South Africa by 30 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
During the match, Tilak Varma was one of the top performers for the “Men in Blue”. Facing just 19 deliveries, he smashed 45 runs, which was laced with three boundaries and three maximums.
Recently, he suffered a testicular injury and underwent successful surgery, and was recovering at BCCI`s Centre of Excellence (CoE).
On his return, the left-handed batsman said he didn`t expect the crowd to cheer his name, and also said that it is his biggest dream to feature in the global showpiece.
“I did not expect to be back on the field this early. Really thankful for CoE and BCCI. I always said that my biggest dream is to play the World Cup. The way I entered the rope, everyone was shouting my name. I did not expect that, so it felt really nice and gave me a boost as I was going in,” he said.
The 23-year-old cricketer also said that, looking at the approach of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, he also decided to display aggressive batting. He also expressed confidence by saying that the Indian team is ready for the much-anticipated tournament.
“The way Ishan and Abhishek were batting, I decided to play aggressively. I did not expect a full crowd. It`s just a warm-up game, but the craze is amazing and really thanks to everyone. The vibe was terrific today, and Tilak and Indian team is ready for the World Cup,” said Varma.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to begin from February 7, and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the tournament, Team India is placed in Group A along with teams such as Namibia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, and the United States of America (USA).
The “Men in Blue” will begin their campaign by playing a clash against the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
T20 World Cup 2026: India`s squad
Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Harshit Rana.
(With ANI Inputs)
