Tilak Varma: India's Middle-Order Insurance Ahead of ODI World Cup
New Delhi: A year out from the ODI World Cup, India’s white-ball think-tank has quietly started to redraw the middle-order blueprint. At the heart of those conversations sits one name that keeps coming up in selection meetings: Tilak Varma.
Not as a headline act. Not yet. As insurance.
Tilak, a left-hander with a clean range of strokes, is being viewed as a potential backup to Shreyas Iyer in the top six. The appeal is obvious. India’s current core is stacked with right-handers, and the management believes a left-hander in the middle can break the pattern and disrupt opposition match-ups.
There’s another layer. Tilak has been specifically asked to sharpen his off-spin. Those in the setup feel his part-time bowling has real upside, and that matters more than ever. The coaching staff has repeatedly flagged the lack of bowling options in the top order, a shortfall that has heaped extra responsibility on the lower order and frontline attack.
For now, these are plans on the whiteboard. The real build-up, insiders say, starts in October when India land in New Zealand. That’s when the first-choice players are expected to be together in ODI cricket again. The upcoming home series against West Indies from September 27 will not offer that luxury; several mainstays are set to miss out.
At the same time, a full-strength T20 squad is scheduled to head to Japan for the Asian Games, stretching resources even thinner.
“Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill feel there isn’t any backup ready for the middle order. With Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy being prone to injuries, they want someone in the top order who can at least chip in with four overs in an ODI,” a BCCI source said.
That concern has already forced some uncomfortable compromises. Over the last year, India have repeatedly pushed Washington Sundar or Axar Patel into the No. 5 or No. 6 role, not because that’s their natural spot, but to keep the XI balanced. In the recent series in England, Ishan Kishan even walked out ahead of vice-captain Iyer.
The message between the lines is clear: the middle order is no longer sacrosanct, and reputations alone won’t lock down positions.
Ageing Core, Tougher Conditions
Looming over every discussion is the World Cup in South Africa. Pace, bounce, and unforgiving outfields will test both technique and fitness.
“The team has to be prepared for conditions in South Africa in the World Cup. Iyer got injured in Australia and his game against pace and bounce is untested of late. The team already has two ageing players in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They are having niggles as well. KL Rahul too will be over 35 by the time the World Cup comes around. Ravindra Jadeja isn’t a certainty either. The fielding of the team has suffered due to fitness issues. The team management feels that they need younger backups ready,” the source said.
That is the backdrop against which Tilak’s name carries weight. It’s not just about runs. It’s about younger legs in the field, an extra bowling option, and a left-handed presence in a right-heavy order.
The message to the next generation is pointed: be multi-dimensional, or risk being left behind.
Selectors Draw the Line on Batting Musical Chairs
There is another tension running through these plans. The selectors are wary of shunting batters up and down the order just to plug short-term gaps.
Last year in Raipur, Ruturaj Gaikwad walked out at No. 4 against South Africa and peeled off a hundred. It looked like the start of a new chapter. It wasn’t. He has not featured in the ODI side since.
“Gaikwad was picked as backup opener since Gill was injured. The team management feels Tilak could have been tried in that place. That’s why they don’t want to rush Devdutt Padikkal in the ODI setup because he found his calling in white-ball cricket while opening the batting,” the source said.
The lesson is blunt: runs out of position won’t guarantee continuity. The selectors want roles to be clearly defined, not improvised on the fly.
That philosophy will face an immediate stress test. The ODI squad for the West Indies series is expected to look nothing like the World Cup core. Iyer, Tilak, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel will all be unavailable, forcing the panel into a patchwork selection. The focus there, for now, is on finding another wicketkeeper rather than building the long-term middle-order jigsaw.
Afghanistan Series on the Clock
While the ODI planning stretches towards next year, the calendar doesn’t slow down. The selection committee is set to meet by September 3 to pick the squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi, starting September 13.
Sources indicate that continuity will be the watchword. The selectors are inclined to retain the group chosen for the subsequent Asian Games, keeping a single white-ball core across assignments.
Medical updates will dictate how bold they can be. Official fitness reports for Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah are still awaited. Varun Chakravarthy, it is learnt, has regained full fitness and is back in the frame.
Between ageing greats, fragile all-rounders, and emerging multi-skill youngsters like Tilak Varma, India’s white-ball future is being built on a delicate balance. The question now is not just who makes the XI, but who can carry the load of two roles when the World Cup pressure hits full tilt.
