Tilak Varma Out: Iyer, Gaikwad, Padikkal Eye T20 Spot vs NZ

• Tilak Varma sustained an injury during the Hazare Trophy, likely missing the five-match T20 series against New Zealand starting January 21 in Nagpur.
• Shreyas Iyer, declared fit and in form after scoring 45 for Mumbai and 82 against Himachal Pradesh, is a strong contender for the middle-order spot.
• Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite being dropped from the ODI squad, is in brilliant domestic form with 413 runs in seven Vijay Hazare innings and can bat lower down the order.
• Devdutt Padikkal, a left-handed batsman, is a top replacement option, having scored 640 runs with four centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
• While no official BCCI statement is out, Tilak's injury puts his T20 World Cup spot at risk, opening doors for these three batsmen.

Why It Matters: Tilak Varma's injury opens doors for Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, or Devdutt Padikkal in the T20 squad.