AB de Villiers On Tilak Varma Dilemma As India Prepare For Afghanistan T20Is

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has raised concerns over India’s batting balance ahead of their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with particular attention on the role of vice-captain Tilak Varma. India are set to begin the series on September 13 as they look to build consistency after a mixed run in T20I cricket following their second consecutive T20 World Cup title.

India struggled during their six T20Is against Ireland and England, losing all six matches, before recovering with a 3-0 series sweep against Zimbabwe. With Afghanistan next on the schedule, followed by a historic T20I against Japan and the Asian Games 2026, the team management faces several selection and combination decisions. The batting order remains one of the key areas under scrutiny.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers pointed to the number of batting options in the squad and questioned where Tilak Varma would fit into the playing XI. “There will definitely be some selection issues with regard to the batters,” he said, highlighting the presence of captain Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, along with several all-rounders. De Villiers said the balance becomes particularly difficult when deciding Tilak’s batting position.

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Tilak has scored 255 runs from 10 innings since the 2026 T20 World Cup, maintaining a strike rate of 159.36. However, his performances have been inconsistent, with three half-centuries during that period. His ability to contribute in the middle order, along with the team's need to accommodate multiple batting and all-round options, could therefore become an important factor in India's selection decisions.

Despite his concerns over the combination, de Villiers described India’s squad as “really, really strong” and said the team had enough flexibility to experiment with different combinations in T20 cricket. He stressed that players would need clear roles, particularly against Afghanistan, who he described as a dangerous team. According to de Villiers, role clarity will be important in ensuring that India can maintain the right balance.

India’s squad for the Afghanistan series includes Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captain, along with wicketkeepers Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. The batting and all-round options include Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. The bowling group features Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur, giving India several combinations to consider ahead of the opening T20I.

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