Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes Tilak Varma’s batting position could be one of the biggest selection challenges for India during the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. According to de Villiers, where India choose to bat the left-hander could have a major impact on the overall balance of the playing XI. India have previously used Varma as a flexible batting option. During the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in July, the 23-year-old batted at No. 5.
However, he had limited opportunities across the series, facing only 43 deliveries while scoring 77 runs. Discussing India’s selection options in his latest YouTube video, AB de Villiers pointed out the number of batting combinations available to the team.
“There will definitely be some selection issues with regards to the batters. Obviously, Shreyas, captain, Ishan Kishan, Samson, Suryavanshi, and then there are all-rounders, Tilak Varma, I think that’s where the balance is quite tricky. Where will he bat?” AB de Villiers said.
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The South African great also stressed the importance of role clarity, particularly with India preparing to face a strong Afghanistan side. He believes the team management must clearly communicate responsibilities to every player before the series.
“Really, really strong squad, but the balance will be tricky to figure out. It is T20 cricket, so they can play around with the squad a little bit. There are different roles, but the role clarification will still be incredibly important for India, as they are playing quite a dangerous team,” he added.
Varma enters the series in excellent form. The South Zone captain has impressed in the ongoing 2026 Duleep Trophy, registering scores of 116 not out, 51 not out and 99 in his three innings. The India-Afghanistan T20I series begins on Sunday, September 13, with all three matches scheduled to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
AB de Villiers also singled out young India batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi as one of the players he is most eager to watch. The former South Africa captain was impressed by the teenager’s maturity and performances despite his age.
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“Vaibhav Suryavanshi is obviously the big talking point. He’s still a teenager, guys, and scoring runs left, right and center. It looks like he’s played international cricket for the last 10-15 years. Sky is the limit for him, and I absolutely cannot wait to watch him perform once again,” he said.
Suryavanshi responded strongly after a difficult start to his international career. He was named Player of the Series in Zimbabwe after scoring 151 runs in three matches at an outstanding strike rate of 196.10.
