Former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has weighed in on Team India vice-captain Tilak Varma’s poor run of form in T20I cricket after another disappointing outing in the ongoing series against England. The left-handed batter managed only 11 runs off eight balls in the fourth T20I at the County Ground in Bristol on Thursday, July 9, as India slipped further in the five-match contest.

Tilak has endured a difficult year with the bat. He began 2026 as India’s first-choice No. 3 in T20Is, but an untimely injury disrupted his rhythm and eventually pushed him lower down the order during the T20 World Cup campaign. Although India went on to lift the trophy, Tilak’s form has remained inconsistent since then. His struggles continued during the IPL 2026 season and have carried over into the tours of Ireland and England.

In his last six T20I innings in the middle order, Tilak has scored only 125 runs at an average of 25.00, a return that has intensified scrutiny over his role in the side. That said, his recent record with India A showed a very different picture. Before the overseas tour, Tilak captained India A in a tri-series in Sri Lanka and led from the front, scoring 275 runs in five matches at an average of 55.00, including four half-centuries. He also guided the team to a series win, which highlighted his ability in longer white-ball formats.

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Karthik, however, feels Tilak’s problems are currently specific to T20I cricket. Speaking on Cricbuzz, the former India wicketkeeper said the batter is not getting the kind of scores he would like in the shortest format, despite showing good form elsewhere.

“The other problem that Team India are facing is Tilak Varma. He is not getting scores he would ideally like, even though he did well for India A, led the team, won the series, and did well in ODI cricket. In this format, he’s found the going hard. It was Shivam Dube who came in ahead of him, and even he could not get going. He played with a strike rate of under 100. So there is plenty for India to think,” Dinesh Karthik observed.

Tilak’s struggles against spin have also become a major talking point during India’s batting collapse in the series. In T20Is during 2026, he has scored against spin at a strike rate of just 91.34, a number that has raised concerns about his ability to control the middle overs.

With the series already out of reach, India may consider changes to their batting combination for the final match. Karthik believes the team management could give a chance to youngster Suryansh Shedge, who was drafted in as a late replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy. Shedge had made his T20I debut against Ireland earlier this year before being left out again.

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“We will surely see some changes in the batting. I have a feeling Tilak Varma might be replaced by some other batter, maybe Suryansh Shedge. Is Shivam Dube going to be rested for someone else to come in? Most importantly, if England go on to win 4-0, it also means India are no longer the World No.1 ranked team,” Dinesh Karthik added.

India will also lose their No. 1 spot in the T20I rankings if they fail to win the final match and end the series 0-4 against England.