India’s Tilak Varma plays a shot during the fifth T20 cricket match between India and South Africa in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: The police sirens weren’t blaring, hundreds hadn’t assembled to catch a glimpse of the team bus, and an eerie silence hung over the porch of the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. A handful of security guards and police personnel were enjoying their afternoon sweet spot after a hearty lunch when the India A team bus pulled in. Chairs were reluctantly ditched as they snapped into an alert position, albeit only for a few minutes.The players started getting off the bus, but the attention and camera pans, only two to be precise, were on Tilak Varma. Set for his first competitive appearance after almost a month, the 23-year-old got into the act straight away. While the rest underwent an extended warm-up and catching drills, Tilak, after a light throwdown session of driving near the ropes, joined Ravi Bishnoi on the practice pitches to bowl.

And it wasn’t just gentle deliveries to loosen up the shoulder as he spent considerable time bowling to the likes of Bishnoi, Ashok Sharma, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed and Mayank Yadav. Even when the captains had lined up for the toss, Tilak wasn’t done yet. Only after USA’s decision to bowl first flashed on the giant screen did the left-hander get the cue and rush to the dugout to pad up.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India’s designated No. 3 for the upcoming T20 World Cup was short on match practice due to a groin injury, but after extended rehabilitation and match simulations at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, he picked up from where he had left off in his last appearance for the country. There were no visible signs of rust as the youngster went about his business exactly as he did in the home T20I series against South Africa.He took the left-arm spin on, found gaps with precision, brought out the reverse sweep and even flexed his muscles with a maximum. His knock of 38 off 23 ended when he edged a Shubham Ranjane delivery behind to the wicketkeeper, but Tilak ticked the boxes he would have wanted after spending time away from cricket. The left-hander remains a crucial piece in India’s T20 World Cup puzzle and his return now leaves the selectors with a straightforward call between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan for the second opener and wicketkeeper’s spot.Samson was woefully out of form in the five T20Is against New Zealand, while Kishan made his opportunities count and even donned the gloves for the final T20I. Captain Suryakumar Yadav had said the call would be revealed on February 7, but recent form and confidence tilt heavily in Kishan’s favour.“The final call on Ishan Kishan versus Sanju Samson for the opener role will be revealed on February 7,” Surya had said in an interaction with the broadcaster.Indian management have persisted with out-of-form players in T20Is, including captain SKY, but it will be interesting to see whether they follow the same route for a multi-nation tournament.

The backup options

After Tilak, the second talking point from India A’s warm-up against USA was the potential backup options in case Washington Sundar does not recover in time for the T20 World Cup. While the all-rounder is making progress at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, the management will want a Plan B in place for a campaign that gets underway on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.As TimesofIndia.com had reported earlier, the management is likely to take a patient approach with Washington as they need an option for match-ups against left-handers. For those match-ups, Ravi Bishnoi was drafted into the squad for the T20Is against New Zealand and returned figures of 2/18 and 1/49 in his two outings. Even in the Navi Mumbai fixture, the leg-spinner, whose stock ball moves away from left-handers, picked up a wicket in his first over, the third of the innings, when he cleaned up opposition captain Monank Patel for 10. Another wicket followed in his second over as he finished with figures of 3/37 in four overs.Tilak too got into the act when he was introduced ahead of the likes of Ayush Badoni and Riyan Parag. The part-timer picked up a wicket with his first ball before Parag was introduced from the other end. There is no need to panic yet, but the think-tank does not want to leave anything to chance, even when it comes to replacement options for a player like Washington, who is unlikely to feature in the playing XI for most games. One over each for Tilak, Parag and Badoni does not drop any major hints either.

Team India to assemble on February 3

The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team will assemble in Mumbai on Tuesday ahead of the warm-up fixture against South Africa on February 4. Most players, head coach Gautam Gambhir and members of the support staff had gone home during the two-day break after the New Zealand series but will now return to business.As far as the relaxed security personnel at DY Patil Stadium are concerned, they were kept on their toes when a decent crowd turned up for the India A-USA game. It will be busier for the India-South Africa fixture, with close to 20,000 tickets already sold, and the post-lunch sweet spot is unlikely on Wednesday.Brief Score: India A posted 238/3 in 20 overs and then bowled out USA for 200 in 19.4 overs, sealing a comfortable 38-run victory.