AB de Villiers questions Tilak Varma's place in T20I team. Source- AFPThe Shreyas Iyer-led India team is all set to face off with Afghanistan in the three-match T20I series, starting from September 13 in New Delhi. Tilak Varma, who recently played in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final, is not only in the 15-member squad vs AFG but also Shreyas' deputy.However, former South African great AB de Villiers, known for revolutionising the shortest format, questioned Varma’s place in the current Indian T20I lineup. AB de Villiers questions Tilak Varma's placeAhead of the massive IND vs AFG T20Is, former South African captain AB de Villiers questioned Tilak Varma's place in the batting order. It is worth mentioning that Varma is Shreyas Iyer's deputy in the Indian T20I side.“There will definitely be some selection issues with regard to the batters. Obviously, Shreyas, captain, Ishan Kishan, Samson, Sooryavanshi, and then there are all-rounders, Tilak Varma; I think that’s where the balance is quite tricky. Where will he bat?” AB de Villiers questioned on his YouTube channel.Also Read: Virat Kohli's Childhood Coach Shows Mirror For 2027 World Cup QuestionsFurthermore, the legendary batter-led India have plenty of quality players and depth across batting, bowling, and all-round options. However, the Men in Blue need to clarify roles for all their players. “Really, really strong squad, but the balance will be tricky to figure out. It is T20 cricket, so they can play around with the squad a little bit. There are different roles, but the role clarification will still be incredibly important for India, as they are playing quite a dangerous team,” de Villiers added.Tilak Varma's topsy turvy T20 form since 2026 T20 World CupDuring the 2026 T20 World Cup, Tilak Varma started at number 3, but after the loss to South Africa in the Super 8, the team rejigged the batting order, with Sanju Samson instated as an opener. The southpaw was pushed down the order, where he played a couple of good cameos, especially against Zimbabwe, West Indies and in the semifinal vs England.Since then, Varma has been batting in the middle order, but barring a few knocks, his form has been questionable in the recent T20 series since the IPL 2026, where too scored just 359 runs in 14 innings. Meanwhile, the introduction of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not only given a headache to the openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, but the middle-order batters are also a problem. Thus, Tilak Varma may start in the India Playing XI vs Afghanistan, but he would have to prove his mettle to remain an integral part of the batting order.After Duleep Trophy heroics, Tilak Varma set for T20I challenge That said, Tilak Varma, who led South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026, showed fantabulous form. He played two matches in the elite domestic tournament, and the South Zone batter made the most of it. In the semifinal clash, the compact left-handed batter scored an unbeaten 116 & 51* to knock North Zone out of the competition. Later, he carried on the momentum in the Duleep Trophy final, but unfortunately was dismissed on 99 by East Zone’s Kounain Quraishi.Now, he would look to stretch his good form in the shortest format as well, starting from the IND vs AFG T20Is. Also Read: Pakistan's Razaullah Enters Unwanted Test List On Debut Vs England
