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Tilak Varma Warned Before India vs Ireland T20Is, No Guarantee Given

Akshita Patel

Tilak Varma Warned Before India vs Ireland T20Is [Source: AFP]Tilak Varma Warned Before India vs Ireland T20Is [Source: AFP]

India is set to play a 2-game T20I series against Ireland this weekend with a new set of leadership. Shreyas Iyer will lead the side as captain, while Tilak Varma will be his deputy.

This is the first time since the T20 World Cup 2026 title victory that the men in blue will play with the new leadership group. However, despite the youngsters being given big responsibilities, a former cricketer has warned vice-captain Varma.

Mohammad Kaif warns Tilak Varma not to get too comfortable

Speaking on his YouTube channel, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif issued a warning to vice-captain Tilak Varma. He said the batter shouldn’t be too comfortable with his new role.

Kaif advised Varma not to take the vice-captaincy for granted, as it does not guarantee a spot in the playing XI. For that, he must perform consistently and contribute to India’s victories.

"Being vice-captain doesn't guarantee a place in the team. Tilak Varma must keep performing to stay in the XI. In this Indian team, no one's spot is permanent, not even the captain's. Every player has to earn their place in every match,” Kaif said.

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To further validate his points, Mohammad Kaif used the example of Axar Patel, who was previously India’s T20I vice-captain, but later lost that leadership role, with Tilak Varma becoming the new deputy.

“If he wants to keep playing, he'll have to maintain his form. Even a slight dip in form could see him dropped. Axar Patel was the vice-captain before. You'd remember that. He's no longer the vice-captain. The team has now moved on to Tilak,” he added.

Tilak Varma prompted, citing long-term potential

Interestingly, after Suryakumar Yadav’s exit as captain, the BCCI trusted young players for the leadership roles by keeping the long-term vision in focus. 

Tilak Varma, especially, is just 23 years old. He has the potential to carry the team in the next decade. Hence, if he succeeds as vice-captain, India will have a backup ready when they need to transition from Shreyas Iyer.

Also, Tilak has performed exceptionally well. In 49 T20Is so far, he has scored 1390 runs at an average of 44.83 and a strike rate of 145.54, including 2 centuries and 6 fifties.

He also played an important match-winning innings in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, which increased his reputation in pressure situations. 

Why did the BCCI opt for Shreyas Iyer as captain?

Having said that, Tilak Varma was among the front-runners to replace Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain. However, he lost the race to a much more senior peer, Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer has been performing consistently in domestic cricket as well as the IPL for the last couple of years. Even in the ODI format, the middle-order batter left an impact.

Hence, it became an impossible situation for the selectors to ignore his merit, and owing to his experience and seniority, the board chose him as Suryakumar’s replacement. Iyer’s captaincy journey will officially begin on June 26 as India take on Ireland at Belfast.

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