3 reasons why Sarfaraz Khan should be considered in place of Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma is uncertain for the India vs New Zealand T20I series, as he underwent surgery. It is not clear whether he can regain match fitness before or during the contest. In this scenario, cricket fans are speculating about who can be a proper replacement if Varma misses the bilateral T20I series.

Sarfaraz Khan is someone who has changed himself a lot during the last few months. He lost a significant amount of weight and developed his batting skills as well. The batter, once known only as a Test format player, is now toying with bowlers in the limited-format games. Without any doubts, Khan deserves a spot in Team India.

3 reasons why Sarfaraz Khan should be considered in place of Tilak Varma:

1. Dominating batting in recent times: The Mumbai-born is among the top batters who have been playing with consistency in domestic cricket. In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 (VHT 2025-26), Khan's swashbuckling batting became one of the main talking points among cricket fans. On January 8, he registered the fastest List-A half-century by an Indian batter. Before that, for Mumbai, he smashed a 157-run innings off 75 deliveries. Apart from these two knocks, the batter bagged multiple half-centuries and match-winning performances.

Read More: 3 reasons why Devdutt Padikkal should be considered in place of Tilak Varma

2. Proven middle-order batter: If the selectors want a middle-order batter in place of another middle-order batter, then Khan deserves to be in the contention. He proved himself in the longer format of the game and is now scoring all the runs with a quick pace coming as a middle-order batsman. With proper batting techniques, the 28-year-old has developed himself into a Twenty20 player as well.

3. Situational awareness: Unlike Tilak Varma, who is more of a modern, momentum-based batter, Sarfaraz brings a traditional-yet-adaptable approach—he can grind when needed and accelerate sharply once set. These skill sets of Khan make him one of the most dominating forces in Indian cricket.