The Asia Cup 2025 has commenced, with India beginning its journey against the UAE in Dubai on September 10. While the Men in Blue are acknowledged as favorites, the tournament represents an important opportunity for a whole host of players to put their name forward. One of the most discussed names is Tilak Varma, the young southpaw whose place in the side is under a lot of scrutiny. While we know he is talented and has shown what he can achieve, Tilak is entering this tournament under pressure to perform.

Stiff competition for batting positions

India's T20I setup is arguably the most competitive in world cricket. The likes of Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are fighting for spots in the team, meaning no player can afford to return poor runs of form. Not to mention our friend Samson, who has three T20I centuries in under a year! and risks being dropped. Tilak also has a distinct lack of seniority and leadership, and if he has a bad tournament, he could find himself out of the side to one of a plethora of batsmen who have proven themselves and are waiting to replace him.

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Strong all-round record, but recent slump

Tilak Varma’s statistics are strong on paper. He averages almost 50 and strikes at over 155 in T20Is and has been an all-around solid player for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. His back-to-back centuries in South Africa at the end of 2024 were career-defining innings. But recent form is telling a different story. During the home series against England, he had only one score above 25 in five overall innings in T20Is, and in IPL 2025, he scored 343 runs at an average of 31.18. While the margin for error is minute, those numbers start to become concerning.

Doubt over positional versatility

Positional versatility is important in T20 cricket at the moment. While Tilak has been brilliant in the No. 3 spot, his No. 4 and 5 performances have not been anywhere near as effective. His strike rate drops dramatically when he is batting out of the top order, and even falls under 138 and under 127 in other positions. The full should not expose his inability to bat well other than in his chosen part of the order. With India having too many strong top-order batters, it becomes difficult to keep Tilak if he is unable to consistently perform across the entire positional spectrum in the batting order.

For Tilak Varma, the Asia Cup 2025 isn't simply another tournament – it could mark the end of his future prospects in the Indian T20I-surrounded by fierce competition and battling questions of form/versatility, this southpaw must come up with some big performances to hold his place; anything less could hinder him, and with India's batting depth it might push him below in the order.