India batter Tilak Varma, who was named in the T20I squad for the five-match series against New Zealand starting January 21, has undergone emergency surgery in Rajkot and is likely to miss the first two matches as he recovers from the surgery.
The 23-year-old was rushed to hospital on Wednesday morning after experiencing acute abdominal pain following breakfast in Rajkot. Varma was scheduled to represent Hyderabad in their final Vijay Hazare Trophy league-stage match against Jammu & Kashmir at the Niranjan Shah Stadium (Ground C).
He was immediately taken to the hospital, where scans revealed the need for an emergency operation. After consultations with the medical team at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, Varma successfully underwent surgery at a super-specialty hospital in Rajkot and is understood to be recovering well.
“It was a very emergency situation for Tilak to be operated upon, considering the immense pain he was in. Thankfully, the surgery went well on Wednesday evening. If all goes well, he could be discharged tomorrow. His availability for next month’s T20 World Cup will be clearer in the next one to two days,” sources said.
“Pain is the primary factor in these cases, as the operation involves a highly innervated structure that can twist and cut off blood supply,” a top sports medicine specialist told IANS, on condition of anonymity.
The injury has raised concerns over Varma’s availability for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7. India will play their first match against the United States of America (USA) on the same day at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Varma has been a key figure in India’s T20I setup, scoring 1,183 runs in 37 innings at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 144.09, including two centuries and six half-centuries. His absence could see India captain Suryakumar Yadav move up to bat at No. 3.
The BCCI is yet to issue an official statement on the matter or name a replacement for Varma in the five-match series, which begins on January 21 in Nagpur. In Varma’s absence, Shreyas Iyer could be in contention for a place in the T20I squad against New Zealand.