India players Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar have checked into the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru to regain full fitness ahead of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, which starts on February
7.
Tilak, a key player in India’s T20I team, was ruled out of the first three matches of the five-game series against New Zealand, beginning in Nagpur on Wednesday. This follows an emergency surgery in Rajkot earlier this month for a lower abdominal issue sustained while playing for Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy league stage.
Washington Sundar, meanwhile, suffered a left rib injury while bowling in the ODI series opener against New Zealand in Vadodara on January 11 and has been ruled out of the entire T20I series. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has replaced Washington in the squad, while Tilak’s spot has been taken by right-handed batter Shreyas Iyer for the first three games.
“Yes, both Tilak and Washington are at CoE for their respective rehab programmes. For Washington, further tests will be conducted, and rehab will start based on the results. Tilak is yet to be assessed,” sources familiar with the matter told IANS on Tuesday.
Sources also indicated that India’s Test vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant might report to the CoE later this week to commence his rehab for a right side-strain. Pant sustained the injury while batting during a practice session on the eve of the ODI series opener against New Zealand in Vadodara on January 10.
The Indian team management hopes that all injury issues are resolved well before the T20 World Cup next month, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
