Tilak Varma Shreyas Iyer for India. Image Credits: AFP
Tilak Varma, the Indian cricket team player, currently playing in the Duleep Trophy 2026, has made a massive statement with the bat.
Varma, who has been in the talks of reportedly replacing Shreyas Iyer in the ODI plans of India, has put up a heroic stand while playing for South Zone in the 2nd Semi-Final of the Duleep Trophy.
For the unaware, Tilak Varma has been in the talks as a backup option for Shreyas Iyer in the 2027 World Cup. While reports don't confirm the developments, Tilak’s recent exploit in the longer format speaks of intent from the 23-year-old.
Tilak Varma scores a heroic century against North Zone
Tilak played a brilliant knock on August 31 during Day 2 of the semi-final. Smashing seven boundaries in his 225-ball innings, Varma remained unbeaten with 106 runs.
He struck at a rate of 47.11 while batting at No. 4, a position where Shreyas Iyer has been one of the most reliable batters for the Men in Blue in recent times in ODI cricket.
North Zone were bowled out for just 195 runs in their first innings. However, Varma's team suffered some early setbacks after the 15th over. It was Varma who anchored South Zone's innings alongside Shreyas Gopal to build a substantial total, with the team currently standing at 285/9.
Tilak's value as a long-fomat player
Tilak Varma's last ODI appearance came in June during the tri-series against Sri Lanka, where he performed exceptionally well, averaging 55.0 across five innings while batting at a strike rate of 74.93.
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He also scored a century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2026 while playing for Hyderabad, which highlights his impressive form across formats. His latest century marked his seventh in first-class cricket.
Notably, in ODI cricket, Varma is yet to score a century, while he has two T20 centuries to his name. For the uninitiated, Tilak also has eight wickets in first-class cricket from the 319 deliveries he has bowled in the format.
How does Tilak’s century make BCCI’s headache bigger?
Tilak Varma’s century has made India’s selection puzzle more complicated. The century has made Tilak's contention into the kind of player a World Cup squad cannot afford to ignore.
That puts the BCCI in an unusual position. Iyer has already established himself as India’s most productive No. 4 since his debut and has a formidable ICC record to support his case.
Replacing him would therefore mean sacrificing proven output for potential. Yet leaving Tilak out could mean overlooking a player who offers India a left-hander with all-round potential.
How did Tilak rescue the South Zone from a collapse?
In the match, Varma came in after Shaik Rasheed departed in the 18th over, with South Zone reeling at 39 for 2. As Tilak began his innings on a defensive note, wickets kept tumbling at the other end, with the team eventually reduced to 80 for 5 after 31 overs.
Amid the collapse, Tilak Varma managed only a brief 37-run partnership with Smaran Ravichandran before forming the highest stand of the innings with Shreyas Gopal.
Gopal, who scored 87 runs himself, paired with Varma for a 175-run partnership off 336 deliveries. The partnership lasted until Gopal was dismissed in the 87th over.
The day ended with Kavuri Saiteja at the crease alongside Varma, while Gurnoor Brar led North Zone's wicket-taking effort with four wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj chipped in with two wickets each.
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