Did BCCI do right thing by appointing Tilak Varma as T20I vice-captain instead of Ishan Kishan?
Tilak Varma has been appointed the vice-captain of Indian T20I team.
On Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for India’s T20 series against Ireland and England along with Asian Games 2026. They announced a 16-member squad for the two series.
Shreyas Iyer was named the new T20I captain, replacing T20 World Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prince Yadav earned their maiden T20 call-ups for India.
While the mainstays of the T20 team – Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube continue to be a part of the squad; Nitish Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi earn a spot in the team with their phenomenal performances in the IPL 2026. Harshit Rana also made a comeback after an injury layoff.
One decision which caught the eye of many fans, was the appointment of Tilak Varma as the vice-captain of India in T20Is.
Did BCCI do the right thing by naming Tilak Varma vice-captain over Ishan Kishan?
Tilak Varma, the Mumbai Indians (MI) starboy, was appointed the vice-captain ahead of the already existing leadership prospects in the team.
Ishan Kishan was one name which was the most pragmatic choice for the role. He featured in the recently concluded IPL 2026, where he scored more than 600 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 182 batting.
The number three batsman also led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the initial 7 matches of the tournament, out of which he bagged a win in four of them, keeping SRH in a promising position on the points table.
Not only in the IPL, but Ishan Kishan had a blazing outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 as well. He was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 517 runs in 10 innings at a staggering strike rate of nearly 200. He led Jharkhand to their maiden domestic title by winning the SMAT 2025.
Ishan Kishan made a remarkable comeback to the international cricket after this SMAT win. He scored more than 200 runs in the T20I series against New Zealand with a century to his name. Following that, in the T20 World Cup 2026, Ishan scored 317 runs in 9 matches, including three half centuries and the scintillating knock against Pakistan.
But the fact that Kishan recently made a comeback, it would have made BCCI opt Tilak Varma over him as the vice-captain.
Why was Tilak Varma appointed as vice-captain of Indian T20I side?
Tilak Varma has played 49 T20 internationals, scoring close to 1400 runs at an average of 44. He has mostly batted in the middle order. However, in the recent T20 World Cup 2026, Verma had an underwhelming outing with 207 runs in 9 matches with no half centuries in the tournament.
The left-handed batsman was named the captain of India A for the Tri-nation A series to be played in Sri Lanka. He featured in the recently concluded IPL 2026, where he scored 359 runs in 14 matches, including two fifties and a century. He averaged under 30, while his strike rate was 145.
The Mumbai Indians batsman looks like the clear choice going forward, despite the presence of some senior players in the side. This potentially can be due to his record for India, and also his ability to thrive under pressure.
Who is appointed the vice-captain of Indian T20 team?
Tilak Va₹rma has been appointed the vice-captain of Indian T20 side.
When will India play the next T20I series?
India will play Ireland from June 26, in a two-match series, followed by the England white-ball tour.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.