IND vs NZ: Shreyas to continue as Varma’s replacement for remaining 2 T20Is

Mumbai, Jan 26: Shreyas Iyer, a temporary pick for the ongoing T20 series against New Zealand due to Tilak Varma's fitness problems, has been kept in the squad for the remaining matches.

He will accompany the team to Visakhapatnam and later to Thiruvananthapuram for the final two games of the five-match series.

Iyer was named as a replacement for Tilak for the first three matches, but the youngster won't be returning for this series now. The 23-year-old needed surgery in Rajkot earlier this month during a Vijay Hazare match. He is currently at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, has begun rehab, and will join the squad in Mumbai for the T20 World Cup, starting on February 7, once he is fully fit.

“India batter Tilak Varma has resumed physical training and is making steady progress with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. However, he will require additional time to regain full match fitness and will not be available for the final two T20Is of the ongoing five-match T20I series,” the BCCI said in a statement.